The Mail Sack is Secure

Warning: This can be habit forming...

When you ask a question of Bungie, you can expect a whole galaxy of different answers. Even if there are things that we agree on in lock step, we still manage to take those steps in our own fashion. This collision of perspectives and experiences aids the process we use to make our games. You’ll learn more about that process Soon™. In the meantime, these guys stepped into the mail room to give you a sample of the spectrum that shines in our studio.

*That isn't a joke. The IT Department has all the fun with their titles. As for everyone else, whether your titles are suitable for a resume or not, let’s open the Sack.

Malfar Any MechWarrior fans in the house? What's your favorite Mech?

Marauder all the way.David Shaw, Senior Producer

I actually used to be part of a thriving BattleTech table top game. I piloted a heavy assault Mech with three MRM missile pods, two PPCs and six coolant pods! That way I could alpha strike.Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

My favorite Mech of all time is MechaGendron. It’s a fictional software-testing Mech I created for a comic series I’m working on. He’s an unstoppable testing machine that can do his job without the burden of emotions or fatigue. He eventually joins the professional gaming circuit and crushes all his opponents with his sweet gaming skillz. At night, he fights crime with his Gauss Rifle/LRM20 combo. But that really has nothing to do with MechWarrior. That’s a great game, though.Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Good stalkers know that a number of us are ex-FASA Studio peeps, who might have made some ‘Mech games in the past. After four major games and a bunch of expansions, I’m physically unable to leave off the trademark apostrophe from the word ‘Mech (in the BattleTech Universe, it’s short for BattleMech). To actually answer your question, my favorite ‘Mechs are the ones from Tesla Battletech, the most hardcore and evil of all the MechWarrior games. Coolant Loops! Ammo Bay Fires! Glory!Derek Carroll, Senior Designer

Kivell What is a strange habit that you have?

I maintain a bizarre weekly ritual where I invite a bunch of gamers to ask their favorite game developers questions, and then eliminate any chance of those two groups of people actually talking about what they really want to talk about. The angst that flows from both directions nourishes me, it does. I’m sure our Panel has even weirder fetishes…

If I think no one is watching, I sing when I code. I feel like it has a positive effect on my ability to reason, and it keeps me awake when I’m coding late nights.Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

I am addicted to SCIENCE! Well that and almost every joint in my body can pop, probably due to my science addiction.Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

I won’t eat hot food. I let my food cool down to what most people would consider “barely warm” before eating. I eat quickly so I don’t hold up the table.Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer

I keep coming back to this place called Bungie every weekday. What in the world is up with that?!David Johnson, Engineer

I have a habit of making up complicated origin/backstories for people I don’t know. They usually involve super powers, the mob or the CIA.Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Responding to these.Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

I end every statement with the words “In accordance with prophecy.”Troy McFarland, Staff Artist

talon2000 Who's your favorite historical figure and why?

(Inset Marty joke here - then turn question over to Panel.)

I have quite a few heroes, but my favorite would have to be Neil Armstrong - or any of the astronauts from that time frame. Can you imagine? You had to be part scientist, part pilot, part cowboy, part crazy man, and a jack-of-all-trades to make it into the program! Then, you strapped yourself to that giant explosion. It’s probably why I get a kick out of movies like this…

Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

Thomas Jefferson: For the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom, Declaration of Independence, his involvement in the distribution of the smallpox vaccine, and for being President of a country that had doubled in size since first holding office.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

Mark Twain. In spite of the historical climate that he lived in, he held the radical view that all people were created equal. And his wit was razor sharp, in accordance with prophecy.
Troy McFarland, Staff Artist

There are so many to choose from! How about Ludwig van Beethoven? The man loved music so much that, even after becoming deaf, he was still able to work his craft - just because he had an intuition for how melodies and harmonies would weave themselves together. It’s that sort of determination and fearlessness in the face of obstacles and limitations (despite having every excuse to quit) that I’d love to embody.
David Johnson, Engineer

The amount of caffeine ingested by Bungie during crunch time.
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

Ministry @ Lollapolooza ’92.
David Shaw, Senior Producer

When I was in high school, two friends and I were in the theater’s green room during lunch, and the age-old question of “If God is everywhere, is he also in the toilet?” came up. Right when it was mentioned, a plastic dinner plate that was away from everyone shattered. We were the only people in the room at the time. We still talk about it when we see each other, in accordance with prophecy.
Troy McFarland, Staff Artist

Yes. Twice. But they are long, scary stories. One story ends with a family moving out of a very nice house.
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer

Carbon fiber.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

I’ve seen and experienced a large number of coincidences in my life. I prefer to interpret those things as evidence in favor.
David Johnson, Engineer

YES. One time I was watching TV, and this girl climbed up out of a well. Then, then she came right through the TV. That was crazy.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

INTERMISSION: We interrupt this Mail Sack to bring you a very special conference with one of Bungie’s most valuable employees. By popular demand, our community was given the chance to put the question to the man who puts the “secure” in our secure location. Bungie fans know him as Jerome. The world knows him as the immovable object that stands between them and their irresistible urge to know our precious secrets. At Bungie, we know him as the gatekeeper who makes us feel safe while we toil away in the darkness of our compound.

Jerome, the mail room is yours.

YodasCurd What do you do to keep yourself occupied while on the job?

I am constantly looking for intruders, allowing access to those who come to conduct business with Bungie, and monitor all entrances to keep them locked down.

antony X1000 Any stories about extremely persistent fans attempting to get into the studio?

Sometimes, people tell me that their brother or sister works at Bungie, and they told them to stop by. Usually when I ask them for the names of the employee, they can’t tell me.

Hylebos What would happen if a fan tried to deliver a cake to the studio?

Bungie’s policy is to reject any food from anyone other than a food service.

mark117 mia2553 Do you like your new home better than the old one? What are some differences that you can share?

I love our new space, but I did have more fun at the old location because I got to tow unauthorized vehicles.

Jerome Trivia: He performed this task without the use of a tow truck.

CTN 0452 9 What is the best part of working at Bungie?

Being part of a great business, constantly meeting highly talented people, and working at a place where most of the world would love to work.

MsCadetUNIVERSE What is the most memorable encounter you've ever had with a fan?

A fan came all the way from Australia to meet people at Bungie. He was excited to take some photos with me. After he returned home, he sent a wonderful letter filled with gratitude.

DE4THINC4RN4TE What is it like knowing that thousands of people fear you?

I didn’t know about that.

Jerome Trivia: In answering this question, Jerome was actually referring to “fear” itself – a concept that is completely foreign to him.

This concludes Jerome’s press-conference. Please back away slowly without making eye contact. We now return you to your regularly scheduled Mail Sack in progress…

edableshoe How many employees would it take to take down Jerome? Does the studio even have enough?

This number is uncertain. I don’t think we’ve ever seen his final form.
David Johnson, Engineer

Are you CRAZY asking questions like that? Keep your voice down. You don’t want to be accused of insurrection.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

Same number it would take to take down your mom.
Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin

Googlz What's your favorite part of Halloween?

I love the mass-hysteria. The world becomes a stage, and everyone dabbles in theatre. It reminds me a little of Xbox Live, since people channel their personalities into an avatar that they wear for one day. Seeing every profession in the world outfitted with a more attractive uniform is also nice.

Colingo If you could trade jobs with one of your colleagues for 24 hours, who would it be and why?

Do we get to gain their powers? If we do, I would switch with CJ Cowan, but those 24 hours would have to be on a weekend when I’m at a golf course. Dude hits it far, straight, and with deadly precision - in accordance with prophecy.
Troy McFarland, Staff Artist

Any of our VO actors! I love doing voice over work, and did a lot of it at my previous studio. I haven’t had the chance at Bungie, and I really miss it.
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

I don’t think there’s any job here I particularly envy. Everyone here works hard and contributes their enormous talent. I’d like to think that jumping into anyone else’s role for 24 hours would just leave me dumbstruck as I face the insurmountable task of trying to figure out how to solve problems that seem second nature to them.
David Johnson, Engineer

Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin

catman6 Are there any unspoken rules of the office that are specific to Bungie?

If I speak about them, they won’t be unspoken anymore. We can’t have that.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

If something is broken in the build that gives you an unfair advantage, abuse it.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

Don’t remind the Grizzled Ancients that Middle School has won the Pentathlon two years in a row, in accordance with prophecy.
Troy McFarland, Staff Artist

There is a sign outside the men’s room that says, “What happens in the Man Cave stays in the Man Cave.” Thankfully.
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer

Don’t forget your keycard or you will have a miserable day.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Be a Hero. I guess that’s not really unspoken. We’ll often literally say to one another: "Be my hero." And we’re usually being totally serious. Also, don't talk about fight club. Wait!
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

ChorrizoTapatio DeeJ, could you give us some advice on creating and maintaining a successful blog?

That crucial first step of deciding on the spirit of your message can be the hardest. A blog should be a vehicle for your own voice - a way to express your passions as a gamer. Be honest. Be sincere. And think about the service you intend to provide to your readers.

To build a following, you’ll need to cultivate a unique lure. My friend Hawty McBloggy used to explore games from an edgy, feminine perspective. The guys at Ascendant Justice could dissect fiction better than any other players could. Foo Mo Jive started a blog at Podtacular to serve up a podcast about all things Halo. I walked the Clan beat on my site, which appealed to gamers who craved a social, competitive experience.

As for maintaining that blog? If there is one thing that Louis Wu always impressed upon me, it was the importance of posting updates frequently enough to keep people checking back for more. Fortunately, his forum was also a great place to drop an invitation to the party I was hosting.

Xd00999 What was your favorite project you worked on before coming to Bungie?

This sounds like one of those questions intended for people who have worked on other games. Instead of telling an exciting story about business travel, I’ll assume that you wanted to know about stuff like this…

MAG. That game was crazy ambitious and an achievement that many people thought couldn’t be pulled off.
David Johnson, Engineer

I loved working on the original Fable at MGS. It was my first AAA title, my first time experiencing crunch in the industry, and my first time I really felt like I had my hands on the project. I have a signed poster from my team hanging up in my living room to this day!
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

For purely personal/nonprofit projects, my favorite was a NaNoWriMo progress tracking app I wrote over a weekend for my friends in the Penny Arcade forums.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

1vs100 for Xbox LIVE.
Jay Thaler, Senior Engineer

Tribes. It had something like 120 motions that were captured, and the stunts were incredibly fun to get – although we capture more in one day now, in accordance with prophecy.
Troy McFarland, Staff Artist

It’s a tie. Quake 3 (because the project itself was so fun) and Power Rangers Ninja Storm for the GBA (because the development of the project went so smoothly).
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Mario Kart.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

EZcompany2ndsqd Can you neither confirm nor deny that the beta testing is taking place?

I can confirm that the Bungie Beta is in a perpetual state of taking place. We’re always curious about the mind of the gamer. Inside the guarded realm of our Laboratorium, we are experimenting on willing subjects to learn how they respond to all sorts of stimuli, including (but not isolated to): builds of our next website, builds of our next game, as well as websites and games that belong to other people. Don’t miss your chance to drive headlong into our wall. Make sure that your Beta Tester profile is up to date, and keep an eye on the email address that you share with us.

spawn031 Roses are red, blue flames are blue, I want them dearly, but only from you.

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Tom T How would you describe the community now? What do you think it will be like in 2 years’ time?

Anxious. Bigger.

coolmike699 Is it true that one of your servers caught on fire during the Halo Reach beta?

Maybe.

QuirkyNate What is your favorite holiday? And why?

Bungie Day. Swag.

MetalxTongue Can I have a peek?

At what?!

Eco Maiden How many Bungie Employees does it take to change a light bulb?

You have reached the end of the Mail Sack. It’s unlikely that you saw it coming, but life is full of surprises. Speaking of which, the Bungie Riddlemasters have a surprise of their own for you. Rare and wonderful swag will be awarded to cunning decoders at every stage. The puzzle will be complete when you decode the last line.

The only hint I’ll give you is that your next chance to ask us a question will come on Monday. Until then, you are at the mercy of your own problem solving skills. Have a nice weekend!

Breaking In - Matthew Ward

Through the lens...

It was George Lucas who once said: “A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.” At Bungie, we agree that the eye-popping cinematics that punctuate our games should transport the player to places filled with meaningful events. A new member of our team understands this cinematic balancing act very well, having walked that tight-rope with Lucas himself, as well as a whole list of Hollywood heavy-weights. Let’s invite him to relive the finer moments of his career, and see what led him to us…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

I’m Matthew Ward, Senior Cinematics Designer on Bungie’s next project. I’m part of the team responsible for creating the cinematic beats between gameplay. In our little world, we know that the only reason anyone is playing the game is to get to the next cinematic!

You assume too much, Sir. I play for the chance to vent my rage in a socially-acceptable vector, but this isn’t about me. This interview is yours, so let’s learn more about your little world. Would you begin by telling us what we might find you doing when you’re not creating virtual cinema?

When I find time for it, I’m usually shooting something with a camera – everything from portraits to little short films. I’m also a big wine-o. I love the stuff, and I love continuing to learn about it. I even make my own wine with some friends down in Sonoma, and we’ve even won a few awards for it. Most of all, I love spending as much time as possible with my kids. It’s fun experiencing everything in life all over again - so many simplicities to remind us of what we forget to enjoy. They give me a good excuse to do “childish” stuff; like playing with trains and Legos, doing arts and crafts, and watching animated films over and over again.

Let’s experience your childhood again in the service of this interview. Think back to when you were a young lad. Did you used to dream about telling stories through the moving image?

I always dreamed of being a Disney Animator when I was young. It was in college when I realized I was more of a filmmaker. I liked organizing teams working on everything to do with telling a story through a camera lens. Soon after, I found myself wanting to be a filmmaker. My industry experience has had me doing so ever since being hired out of school. Several years ago, I ended up working for Walt Disney Pictures’ Imagemovers Digital, animating previsualizations and final camerawork. So, I guess you can say I reached my goal of being a Disney Animator.

Is that what you were doing when we found you? Did you come to Bungie direct from the magical world of Disney?

Right before working here, I was the Director of Photography on an upcoming animated film being produced by the Weinstein Company called “Escape From Planet Earth.” It was my first full-DP gig - a result of nearly fifteen years of working with directors like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, The Wachowskis, and Robert Zemeckis. I provided them with shot design, previsualizaton, and layout for their films. Prepping to shoot an entire film was great training. It’s been a key component of my contributions here at Bungie, as we’re trying to bring more of that 35mm big-screen feature-film presence to our cinematics.

There are some rather large names on your resume. Who else have you shared a set with that we might know?

I spent most of my career working with Robert Zemeckis on his motion-capture films, and consider myself an understudy to his filming techniques. I’ve presented pre-viz cinematography techniques to Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks to name a few. As for sharing a set, I’ve directed music videos for artists including Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) and the band CAKE.

You mentioned that you were hired for you first gig right out of High School. Does that mean that you’re a student of the set? Or did you seek some formal education in tandem with your early work?

I attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and focused my studies in Computer Animation and Film. The college was great at tearing us down with critiques and pushing us harder and harder to produce better work. They encouraged us all to critique each other, and even our professors. I’ve brought that tradition with me nearly everywhere I’ve worked, though some places welcome it more than others. I critique myself harder than anyone else, and offer thoughts to my colleagues as well. Luckily, at Bungie we thrive on open critiques and learn a lot from each other in the process. Sure enough, our work gets better and better because of it.

You speak the truth. An artist who can’t handle criticism won’t last long at Bungie. How did you convince us to submit you to the most dreaded critique of all: the Bungie interview loop?

After finishing the film I was shooting in Vancouver, some friends here at Bungie heard I was looking for my next gig and invited me down to meet some people. Although I had some inside influence, it wasn’t only up to them if I was going to fit the bill. I had to provide a cinematic test showing my shooting methods and my skills for animation. My interview alone lasted nearly 8 hours with over 10 people! I guess when they tallied the vote, I was offered the job.

That sounds about right. Each of us has had to go that distance. What was the hardest mile for you?

Avoiding the basket of FREE FOOD (Snickers, Twix, chocolate covered pretzels, Doritos, gum, etc.) on the interview table. I think it was another part of the overall interview – testing to see if I could resist pigging out during some question/answer time.

Love of snacks never hurt anyone’s chances of fitting in around here. Now that you’ve joined the crowd, what’s your favorite thing about the work you’re doing with us?

So far, (I’ve only been here a short stint), the coolest thing has been seeing our work pipe into the game engine and come to life in its full glory. When we lay out most of our work, we’re using a hodge-podge of grey-shaded and low-res textured models, low-res rigs, and temp lighting. When we’ve nailed a scene, we spit it out and watch it with the quality turned up to ELEVEN. It’s the result of many departments’ hard work in tools, design, and planning finally coming all together. It’s the pay-off we’re always excited to see and share.

Aside from the professional motivators, what’s something that Bungie does to keep you happy on a visceral personal level?

Currently, it’s our free-lunch program. For the first 6-months of any new hire’s employment, anyone can take them out to lunch on the house. And it’s not just free food that’s appealing, but it’s a great opportunity to meet people you normally wouldn’t ever meet in the studio because your departments don’t interact. It takes the “stranger” effect out of the equation and makes the studio much more an overall team than just a crowd of unknown faces. I’ve been eating a lot of free food lately with some amazingly talented people.

I’ll be sure to exploit you for a free meal before you expire, much as I’m exploiting you right now to the delight of our community. All of this exploitation must be somehow worthwhile, since you keep coming in to work every day. Can you describe for us your finest moment since you joined the team?

On my first day, I was invited to flesh out our camera and lens kits to provide us with a look that was worthy of a big-budget feature. My task was to help our team design shots and tell our stories within the cinematic style they were looking for. To test it out, I reshot one of our cinematics to demonstrate where we could improve upon our pacing and look. It took some great trust from our 3D story lead to drop that in my lap on day one, and the team has complimented the cameras and lens kit several times since. I believe we’re pushing some great drama, tension, and action within the frame of our compositions.

It sounds like you are a man who is squarely on his game. Do you think Bungie will be a place where you can improve your skills as a creator of dramatic imagery? How will you go about enhancing your mastery of the cinematic arts?

I continue to shoot at home, when I can. I continue to challenge myself at work, learning and doing new things. I play games about 1% of the time the average employee here plays. I’ve started playing the Halo series at home from the very beginning, for the first time. Sure, I feel like I’m gonna puke after 10 minutes (I’m one of the few fortunate souls struck with motion sickness from video games), but I’m fighting through, building up my thumb-eye coordination, if anything else.

Awww, I love noobs. It’s fun experiencing everything in games all over again - so many simplicities to remind us of what we forget to enjoy. What would you tell the gaming veterans who are reading these words? If they wanted to follow your path, what should they know?

The best advice I could best give is to explore all aspects of the creative mind. Art, cinema, theater, light, acting, reading, conversing, music, philosophy, espresso, etc. If there’s no reason behind the action of a game, no story to bind it all together, and nothing pretty to look at while doing so… you’re just at home on a couch, staring at a blank canvas. We’re all here because we love making that blank canvas come to life and sharing it with others.

It certainly sounds like we’re lucky to have you. Before I return you to the set, please sort these ingredients based on their importance to you role: Talent, Work Ethic, and Experience. Feel free to couch your answer in a delicious metaphor if it makes things easier to explain.

Experience, Work Ethic, Talent. If I were a cake-baker, I imagine it would go something like this:

I have a lot of Experience baking cakes. I still knock it out of the park most of the time, but occasionally I try something new and learn from it, good or bad. The next time, I bake it right, or even better than before. Work Ethic comes to play in the fact that I LOVE baking cake and I enjoy doing it for 8 hours a day, sometimes even more. And when I’m not baking a cake, I’m THINKING about baking a cake. Talent is why you love my cakes. I’ve got a knack for what makes them good, and it’s usually a result of my experience and work ethic combined.

And with that, we release a very valuable cook back to our kitchen. Matthew may have traveled some unexpected routes to the land of game development, but his story proves that you never know what skills will become crucial in this ever-changing environment. Our Breaking In archive is shaping up to be a museum where all of those skills are on display. If you don’t fancy yourself a filmmaker, you may yet find an exhibit that speaks to you.

Mail Sack of Plenty

May your cup runneth over...

This week, the Mail Sack overfloweth with Bungie Love. If you’re no stranger to this weekly orgy of crowd-sourced inquisition, you’re probably anticipating a roster for the Bungie Panel that squared up to answer some questions. On this occasion, they’re too numerous to list, lest this opening beat start to resemble the closing credits for a game. To discover the identities of the developers who were in a sharing mood when your curiosities were revealed, you must delve into the questions, much as they did.

Let’s open the Sack.

TheSpiderChief Do you, DeeJ, actually look through all the pages of questions we give you or do you just go through the first few due to precious time?

My promise to you is that I read every single question that you commit to our virtual mail room. It’s a great way to read your minds. This labor of love results in an internal monologue that sounds something like: “Can’t answer that without getting fired… Can’t answer that without getting in trouble at home… Won’t answer that on general principle… Can’t even think about how I’m supposed to answer that... Oh, look at this one!” (cut and paste)

chubbz What are Bungie's favorite superheroes?

David Candland, Artist

Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

Mark Flieg, Artist

Joseph Fernandes, Production Engineer

Rachel Swavely, Motion Capture Tech

Troy McFarland, Motion Capture Lead

Rick Lico, Art Lead

Travis Pijut, Test Engineer

Joshua Rubin, Writer

John Stvan

UphillMercury What is the main motivational factor that makes you want to go into work every day?

I really like our bathrooms. We play loud music in the bathrooms which helps cover up the bodily functions. I think this should be a rule for all bathrooms.
Alan Stuart, Engineer

I like the big room that we all share – except for the Audio recluses.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

Hmm, it's hard to choose... does an alcove with a fireplace and hammock-seats count?
Austin Spafford, Engineer

The Bungie Thunderdome, yet for some reason the Rock Wall gets all the attention.
Joseph Fernandes, Production Engineer

Spandex Palace, of course.
Rachel Swavely, Motion Capture Tech

The Theater, glorious AV nerd toy that it is.
Steve Lopez, IT Overlord

Marty’s office.
Pat Jandro, Cinematic Designer

MURDUR 587 What is love?

Love is evil spelled backwards. And misspelled.
Robert Kehoe, Tester

Rachel Swavely, Motion Capture Tech

Mark Flieg, Artist

Love is the integral of the intensity of the romantic feeling over time. I learned this in a lecture called ‘The Mathematics of Love’ in a high school summer program (true story!). Yet another way we can use calculus in life!
Tom Sanocki, Staff Artist

Speed.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

Blindfolded hatred.
Alexis Haraux, Engineer

A wife and son who both outlast me in a weekend Borderlands 2 marathon.
Rick Lico, Art Lead

I bet someone in the studio is going to respond with that Haddaway song…
Pat Jandro, Cinematic Designer

Yeah. You think?

XoG Suppressor What is the best prank you've ever played on someone? Don't hold back.

I once Photoshopped my boss’ face onto a picture of Conan the Barbarian and had it printed as a 5’ wall poster.
Joseph Fernandes, Production Engineer

Since you didn’t specify office prank. Back in high-school when there was construction going on, I told a friend that our buddy was using the port-o-potty and had left the door unlocked. I convinced him it would be hilarious if he were to go and open the door of said potty in-front of the entire school. (This was a military school so almost the entire school was out for formation and could see the port-o-john.) Not only did my friend open the door with a huge grin on his face, but he yelled as loud as he could. Our buddy was not in there but instead a construction worker in the middle of pulling up his pants. My friend, cheeks beat read, ran back to his room to the sound of 200+ teenagers laughing at him. By lunch time an orange net fence was blocking off the traveling crapper.
Robert Kehoe, Tester

I like to scream really loudly in the elevator while simultaneously pushing the alarm button. My kids asked me to scare their friends. Hilarious.
Alan Stuart, Engineer

My boss at a previous job was pregnant and starting to show. She'd told a couple of people (including me), but not everyone. A co-worker confided in me that she thought our boss might be pregnant. I said I wasn't sure. The next day, I told my co-worker that our boss wasn't pregnant, but that she'd heard people talking about her weight, got pissed off, and was now trying to find out who started the rumor. I told her I covered for her, but to watch out...
Mark Yocom, Release Engineer

Googlz What is the most irritating part of map design?

Map designers.
Alexis Haraux, Engineer

For a tester, finding that the designer has blocked off my favorite shortcut/exploit with invisible physics. For the designer, hopefully it’s the bugs that show where he/she thought they wouldn’t need invisible physics.
Robert Kehoe, Tester

Derek Carroll, Designer

Im SteelAssassn The Marty Army was promised a Humpday way back when. Gonna pay up?

Oh no you don’t. I delivered on that ancient debt. Well, it wasn’t a Humpday Challenge (those are so old-fashioned) but Marty showed up and played some games with his Army. Maybe I can lure him onto the battlefield again in another ten years. Stay tuned.

coolmike699 What's the strangest way you've ever been injured?

Slicing zucchini with a machete.
Steve Lopez, IT Overlord

Swinging from a flimsy tree branch and splitting the skin on my forearm wide open.
Joseph Fernandes, Production Engineer

My brother sat on me.
Robert Kehoe, Tester

I can’t believe I’m going to admit this to a large audience. When I was four, I cracked my head open by falling onto the corner of a table. This occurred because I was dancing to the music of Fraggle Rock at the time. I still carry the scar on my forehead!
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

It was first or second grade. I was very excited to be first in line. I didn’t want anyone to get ahead of me, so I stretched out my arms to the doorframe. Then someone slammed the door behind me – yup, that was my pinky finger stuck in the hinge. I pulled it out and ran to the nurse’s office. Ended up losing the pinky nail that afternoon and wore a thick wrapping around it for weeks. My mom still made me practice the piano, and that was the worst part of the whole experience.
Tom Sanocki, Staff Artist

In middle school, a girl I had a crush on tickled me while I was hanging upside down from the monkey bars. I fell and chipped my front tooth, but I had to act cool about it. I still have a chip in my front tooth.
Alan Stuart, Engineer

The Statue of Limitations doesn’t allow me to discuss this in 43 states, and Puerto Rico.
Nate Hawbaker, Technical Artist

Getting hit by the tail of a friend's overly enthusiastic Great Dane. Those things hurt!
Austin Spafford, Engineer

I split my forehead on my parent’s coffee table at 3 years old playing He-Man on the couch. By the power of Greyskull, indeed.
Mark Flieg, Artist

Being a stupid teenager. We were goofing off and I jumped off the hood of a moving car going about 25mph. Busted my nose and bit through my tongue.
David Candland, Artist

In the eighth grade, I punched a bus seat in an attempt to kill a bee and ended up breaking my left pinky in the process. Bonus #1: I'm not even left handed, so it's not my strongest punching hand in the first place. Bonus #2: I missed the bee.
Mark Yocom, Release Engineer

Tried to push a sewing needle into a chair leg by dropping the chair on it, the needle shattered and went through my finger. Don’t ask why I tried that. I was six.
Alexis Haraux, Engineer

In a mocap session prototyping our new IP. I was doing a backwards turn into a run, and craned my ankle on a pillar in our old mocap studio. Which proves that parents do not, in fact, have eyes in the back of their heads.
Rick Lico, Art Lead

Please wait How often does the studio have meetings where the entire studio meets together?

About once a month, if our schedule allows for everyone to share a special moment. Team Meetings are a great way to end a week. Fanfare rings out across the studio floor to call us to arms. The door to the beer fridge swings wide. A mountain of snacks is heaped upon the kitchen island. Rows of chairs invite us to sit and watch as our peers show off their latest and greatest additions to the tapestry we are weaving, with people perched on the grand staircase and every overlooking balcony.

Helveck Is there an Office Motivator? You know, like a Richard Simmons, or an ED-209? Someone that is always saying the right things to help push people to the limits of their talents and beyond?

The biggest office motivator is the game itself right now. It has a life of its own and ultimately reminds us that it’s worth all the effort.
Jonty Barnes, Production Director

You mean besides Richard Simmons who roams our workspace on an Ed-209?
Robert Kehoe, Tester

WestCoastRonin Are you allowed to bring guests into the studio like spouses, kids, etc.?

The answer is “Yes!” But for the last time, Ronin, I will not marry or adopt you.

defnop552 What's your favorite Pixar film?

Who better to answer this question than someone who worked on some of them? I give you Bungie Staff Artist Tom Sanocki:

Choosing just one favorite Pixar film? Oh, cruel, cruel world! Have you no pity, forcing us to choose between our dear, precious children?

Cars was one of my favorites to work on because we had such a great Characters team – a team fun-loving enough to build a themed bar ("The Rhino Lounge") in our corner of the office. Rigging Mater was a particular challenge for me, since it blended some hard technical challenges with tricky aesthetic ones. Paul Aichele, one of Pixar's top riggers, stayed late with me one night during a hard time in production to figure out how to get his smile just right. That film was filled with moments like that.

Up is one of my favorites because Pete Docter is one of my favorite people to work with. I can't think of anyone else who could pull off a movie as crazy as Up. It was also the hardest Pixar film for me. The concept art for Kevin the bird came in really late, forcing me to squeeze twelve months of work into three. That was wild and brutal, but sometimes the hardest times are good too - especially when you're doing your small part to build a gem like Up.

And Finding Nemo holds a special place in my heart – not only because it's a wonderful film, but because it was my first film. There's nothing in the world like seeing your first film up on the big screen for the first time, seeing your first character appear, and thinking: "Wow, was that really good enough to go up there?"

But who could leave out Incredibles? Brave? Ratatouille -- where we spent several weeks stressing about subtle creases between rat legs, and then rebuilding them all from scratch? Toy Story 2 -- a film about the choice between death and immortality? Or Toy Story 3 -- also about death?

Do I really have to choose, DeeJ? Did we misunderstand the question? Aha – that must be it!

Hylebos If I wanted to create a fictitious world, where would be a good place to start?

In your mind.

Garland When can you reveal the release date for Bungie.next?

Soon™.

Elite Predator How do you deal with being away from friends and family for a while when being dedicated to the title being worked on at the moment?

Skype.

Remorazz Which position do you think gets it the easiest out of all of you?

Assistant to the Community Manager.

Gamer Whale What are you not working on?

Halo 4. Pass it on.

YodasCurd What would you say if I told you, that the fate of the world lies in a code hidden in this sentence?

It will take more than a superfluous comma to save the world.

Mythical Wolf That's all folks! See you on Monday for another Mail Sack.

Hey. That’s my job. And this is my desk. Who the hell let you in here anyway?

Thank you for your questions. We do appreciate the chance to talk about something while lovingly toil to create something that we won’t talk about yet. You may ask yourself: How can I get in on this? The answer to that question is discovered in our Community Forum every Monday.

Breaking In - Stephen Hodde

The sound and the fury...

Last week, David Henry told us all about his work with the Audio Team that is creating the noise that will fill Bungie’s new universe. As you’re about to find out, he’s not a one-man band. The events depicted in our next game happen in a noisy place, and we’ll need entire orchestra of artists to provide the sounds you’ll hear when you play. Let’s collect them all…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name’s Stephen Hodde. I’m a Senior Audio Designer here at the Bungie. I design sound effects for a bunch of different aspects of the game. My favorite part of the job is recording original sounds, whether it’s out in the field or here in our Foley studio. I like giving players a world of sounds they’ve never heard before, even if they’re small and easy to miss. It all adds up to the feeling that you’re experiencing something new and exciting.

To me it just sounds like a bunch of junk. How do you spend your time when you are not filling our game with garbage?

I enjoy Muay Thai kickboxing, reading, eating good vegan food, and spending time with my wife and dog. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of Magic: The Gathering and Skyrim.

Knowing these personal details about your life reminds me that you’re a person, which leaves me regretting that garbage remark. Let’s start this whole thing over by going back to beginning. How did this career as a Sound Designer for video games develop?

Sound design was something I just fell into. I thought I wanted to be a composer or a music producer of some kind. After college, I took a job at an interactive design studio writing music and creating sound effects for Flash games and ads. That’s where I started to fall in love with sound effects. The technical side of game sound implementation also satisfied an aspect of my personality that other traditional media couldn’t.

At some point, I decided I wanted to be working in games, and made it a 2-year project to get a job somewhere in the industry. The first thing I did was start reaching out to sound designers of games I loved, and asked for their stories. The one person that kept in touch and gave me some really thoughtful insight was Emily Ridgway (Bioshock, Brutal Legend). She recommended I strip sound from a trailer or some other gameplay footage and replace it with my own. Tim Prebble (Music of Sound Blog) gave me mixing critiques once I had finished editing my own work into the trailer.

Very ambitious. How did you go about getting feedback from other people to push you further down that path of self-teaching?

I was fortunate to have my trailer critiqued at the GDC demo derby by Emily, Paul Lipson, Gene Semmel, and Scott Gershin. There I saw a young woman present a modification of Unreal Tournament where she replaced the sound. Everyone on the panel responded to her demo so favorably that I decided to start working on a mod of Crysis.

I knew I needed to do something that was completely different from what anyone else was doing that was applying for jobs, so I decided I would record all my own sound effects for the mod. I got in touch with Charles Maynes (Letters from Iwo Jima, Resident Evil 5, Killzone 3) to record a gun shoot in San Diego, CA. I recorded and mastered those weapons, and used FMOD and the Crysis Mod SDK to put those effects into the game. I captured in-engine video and edited it together to make my new demo reel.

Three years later, I’m here. I was lucky enough to get some incredible experience at Volition working on Saints Row: The Third, Red Faction: Armageddon, and a few other unannounced/unreleased projects.

Good Games! Let’s go back even further and talk about what inspired that two-year personal mission to break into this industry? Was making games a life-long goal for you?

That question didn’t really enter my brain until I was about 12. I loved computers and playing games - that’s all I really wanted to do. Marathon was kind of a watershed game for me; I didn’t know games could elicit that kind of emotion. I still walk by the Marathon game boxes in a display case downstairs and get a little choked up. The amount of cosmic weirdness that needed to happen to get me from playing Marathon in my bedroom in Charlotte, NC in 1994 to here and now is incomprehensible.

My mom is a musician and she nurtured my musical aspirations and interests. I started playing guitar around the time I was 12 and almost immediately began writing and recording songs. I didn’t seek out music theory or practicing like real musicians do, I just liked the act of capturing something and turning it into something new. Using an earlier version Adobe Premiere or Deck II, I started slowing down the guitar recordings, speeding them up, playing them in reverse, processing flange and chorus effects, and so on.

It’s clear to me now that I wanted to be a sound designer. I thought I wanted to be a composer or musician when I was a kid, but sound design was something I just didn’t know existed.

We never know where the skills we develop might take us. How did your musical education prepare you to end up with Bungie?

I wouldn’t be here at Bungie if not for the teachers that took a personal interest in me, encouraged me when I needed it, and pushed me when I got lazy. My mom was my first champion in all my childhood creative endeavors. She is an incredible pianist and I grew up listening to her practice and teach others.

So much of sound design is happy accidents, trial and error, and black magic. I think most sound designers will tell you they are self-taught in the skills they use, but really it’s an amalgamation of everything. The best audio designers - Ben Burtt, Walter Murch, Randy Thom - are all well-rounded individuals with passion and knowledge outside their field. What shapes their craft and grows them as artists comes from everywhere.

Beyond musical theory and basic enthusiasm, how were you able to take all that passion and translate it into actual working knowledge that would make you employable?

I didn’t have any formal training in sound design or implementation. Mrs. Bucy, my 6th grade music teacher, got me my first internship at age 15 for a recording studio in Charlotte, NC. I spent as much time as I could there, learning basic microphone technique, signal flow, soldering, tape machine maintenance, acoustics, and most importantly dedication.

I went to New York University to study Music Technology, where I earned a Bachelor of Music. In college, I worked with a producer in Brooklyn and helped him construct a recording studio, and continued to record throughout my years at NYU in their Music Tech studios.

Do you ever find yourself recalling the things you did to earn your degree? Or was your education more of a rite of passage?

A lot of what I learned from those years I still use today in some form. Orchestration and creating a sound effect are very similar. Beyond the core content, whatever’s at the heart of the music piece or sound effect, you’re thinking about texture, tone, and how to fill out the frequency space over time. The same critique of classical music recording can be applied to a game mix; its width in the stereo space, the sound’s stage depth, how well can you localize a specific instrument or sound within the image, the mix volume dynamic, and so on.

The implementation aspect of the job can be difficult at first, but there have been a lot of developments with middleware that have lowered the technical bar for entry. I took a Computer Science class in high school that has given me most of the basic vocabulary I need to communicate with developers effectively. Learning FMOD and Wwise was something I picked up in my free time.

You have an impressive story about how you learned to do what you do. How did you entice Bungie to listen to it?

I had met Senior Audio Lead Jay Weinland several years prior at an Audio Engineering Society conference. We both delivered presentations on a physics-driven audio systems panel. Getting to know him in a casual environment without work pressure definitely helped get my foot in the door.

Once they decided to give me a chance, I tried to pull out all the stops, to act as if this was the only interview I’d ever have. I worked through Christmas vacation non-stop on my sound design test, and tried to think of any way I could stand out. Bungie gives its audio applicants a radio play script to edit together a short piece without visuals. I went off that script, and it was something that left an impression with them. I knew it was a risk. Gimmicks or novelties can be really off-putting to employers. I wanted to show them who I was at my core, and ultimately they liked what they saw.

And that’s just the first step into a larger world. Next comes the fearsome trials of the interview loop. What was the hardest part about yours?

The waiting. Oh, and the food poisoning I got at lunch. Luckily it didn’t kick in until I was back at the hotel. I’ve done enough interviews and public speaking to learn to just be myself, so I didn’t have to reach too deep and manufacture some kind of special, better version of me. I knew Bungie’s standards are very high, and I wanted the job really bad, so the hardest part was letting go of all that to just relax and be me. I struggled with crippling self-doubt for many years, so the hardest work went in well before the interview.

Have we provided you with rewards that make up for the agony you endured after your interview lunch?

I am so fortunate to have a steady job in a creative field, that in and of itself is reward enough. At this point I’ve been at Bungie for less than 6 months and I’ve experienced the biggest creative growth of my life. I look forward to coming in to work every day, and I think often about how I’m probably one of the few people on earth that can say that. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage because the caliber of talent here is so high, but there’s also a comforting atmosphere of mutual respect.

You have a long history of expanding your own skillset with personal projects and elective exploration. How do you continue that self-education as a member of the Bungie team?

I’m always listening critically to movies, games, and TV shows that give me some kind of inspiration. I will still make A-B comparisons of my work to other games and films. That back-to-back comparison can yield a lot of insight. Mostly I spend free time with tools or techniques I’ve never used. Occasionally I’ll do a freelance project like an independent film to switch things up.

The guys I work with here have incredible ears and their input has been the biggest factor for my growth. Getting my work into the hands of better sound designers that can give me criticism has been the single greatest educational method in my arsenal.

And it’s not just about the creative skill, it’s how you handle that criticism that determines whether or not you can move forward.

You’ve provided aspiring sound designers with a wealth of ideas for how they can explore what you do on their own. Is there any other advice you would heap onto this mountain?

Patience. I suppose if you put it all together, it was 5 years ago when my wife and I decided to move from Brooklyn, NY and I was able to begin my game audio job hunt in earnest - and by that time I had already worked as a professional sound designer for a few years.

Find your own way to stand out. Again, don’t be gimmicky. It still needs to be tasteful and professional. Put that above-and-beyond attitude into everything, cover letter, your demo reel, website, business cards, or resume. It has to come from a genuine place, because people smell -blam- pretty easy. And it smells bad.

I don’t think we’ve ever talked to a subject who had so much to say about how one can join this world we inhabit. I feel like I just passed a course myself. Before we dismiss this class, rank these elements in order of importance to your role: Experience, Work Ethic, and Talent.

Work ethic, experience. I would probably strike Talent from the list. I don’t know if I was really ever “talented,” I’ve just spent a lot of time doing what I do. I was lucky enough to find something I really liked to do early in life and then I just kept doing it.

And with that, this class is dismissed. If you’re finding yourself wanting to join Stephen in our pit, he has provided a whole volume of sheet music for you to follow. If you’re not musically inclined, but you still dream of making games, don’t lose heart. We need all sorts of artists to make a game. You can learn about all of them in the Breaking In archive.

Sneak Attack of the Mail Sack

It's here to make your day...

You might have heard that Bungie is dark. It’s true. We’re darker than midnight around here. Fortunately, if armed with a flashlight, there are a lot of fun things that one can do in the dark. You can play a game of tag. You can hunt for nocturnal prey. You can even host an underground celebration.

Here are the party animals that showed up this week to illuminate the disco ball.

obbsesedwithhalo I feel so sad at the lack of any indication of when you'll not be dark anymore. Can you put my mind at ease?

We’ve been as clear as we can about when we’ll relight our engines. If you were a little more obbsesed with Bungie.net, you’d likely be a lot less sad. You’ll have reason to cheer up Soon™. In the meantime, can I buy you off with an easy compliment? You sure do look handsome today.

SG Tumnus123 Who's your favorite Starship Captain and what one quality most makes them your favorite?

When you say “Starship Captain,” the first thing that rockets into my mind is an image of William Shatner, looking svelte and young in his burgundy dress-uniform (circa, Wrath of Khan). It’s an elemental, knee-jerk of Pavlovian proportions. Let’s see what jerks the knees of our Panel…

Admiral Piett. He intensified the forward fire power.John Stvan

Admiral William Adama, The Old Man. I don’t want to spoil it, but go watch Battlestar Galactica, Season 3, Episode 4. You will understand why.John Shaffstall

Malcolm Reynolds. Loved that deadpan wit.Travis Pijut

Picard. His leadership brings out the best in his crew – he is not a one-man show.Michael Strein

Captain Will Riker, (and yes, he is a captain now) because of his totally boss beard.Chris Owens

WestCoastRonin How do Bungie employees get their nicknames? Do you select your own or is it selected for you by others at Bungie?

I was just about to launch a rant about how no one gets to pick their own nickname. Not ever! Then it occurred to me. Everyone at Bungie is a gamer, and gamers are very unique in that they create their own identities. You all picked your own nicknames on Bungie.net or Xbox LIVE. We’re no different. Evil Otto, Abe Froman (Sausage King), Mantis, Lukems, Urk, DeeJ. Even Marty dubbed himself The Elder. When you think about it, the person we become when we can be whoever we want to be says a lot about us. Noodle on that the next time you witness someone bullying a noob in Matchmaking.

Hylebos This is a question to the Magic the Gathering players at Bungie: Now that the Return to Ravnica expansion has been fully revealed, what new cards catch your eye?

Calling all nerds. Would all nerds please pick up a nerd courtesy phone…

I haven’t glanced at the list too closely yet. That kind of ruins the surprise when you are opening packs. But the token populate mechanic is pretty interesting, any of those cards have my eye for a potential deck. Travis Pijut

We liked Red Dead Redemption so much that we hired Danny Bulla to come here and help us fill your next sandbox. He’s doing some amazing work and, so far, he hasn’t tried to lash any of us to a pair of railroad tracks.

Kr1egerdude Any animal on earth can be domesticated on your command, what would you do with this power?

I would domesticate the trolls, and exploit them to staff a virtual information desk where they would be forced to answer questions asked by forum newcomers. Since a troll is just an imaginary creature, I need to come to grips with the fact that this will never happen. Instead, I’ll task our Panel to answer your question…

Is this power exclusive just to me? I feel my answer would change drastically if not.Pat Jandro

Lemurs. Lemur power.John Stvan

I would make random animals ride around on the backs of other animals, because apparently that’s hilarious.Jay Thaler

I’d domesticate all animals simultaneously.Chris Owens

I’d definitely get a pet rhino. Well, I wouldn’t, but it’s nice to think about.Alex Loret de Mola

Enjoy a really nice steak every week. Oh, also probably conquer the world with my animal army and set myself up as the “Benevolent” Overlord or something. But mostly steak!Travis Pijut

Acquire lion, name him Aslan, and ride him around commanding him to roar at people majestically.Andrea Fonger

Bear Cavalry!John Shaffstall

Zafric When it comes to applying for a job at Bungie, do you have any tips or suggestions that would help an aspiring Bungie fan get his/her foot in the door?

Start a blog about games and stuff. Or, follow in any of these footsteps…

Step 1. Have foot. Step 2. Find door. Step 3. Do the math. John Stvan

Don’t literally try and get your foot in the door and sneak your way in expecting to put your resume on someone’s desk. We have the ability to make people disappear.Pat Jandro

Create cool things and show them to people.John Shaffstall

Choose an aspect of video games that you think you’d enjoy working on. Become really good at doing that. Send us your resume when you know you’re good enough to do it here.Kurt Nellis

Do not wear a meat dress. It’s been done.Jay Thaler

Don’t come dressed as Master Chief. Seriously. Chris Owens

Never give up. Never surrender.Michael Strein

Jondis What's the dress code for an interview at Bungie?

Suit and tie! Actually, that would get you dismissed before the first question landed on your jaw like the opening jab of a boxing match that lasts all day long. As a recent rescue from the double-pleated corporate wilderness, I was instructed very carefully on this point before I climbed into the ring myself.

Dangerouswelsh1 Maybe this question has already been asked or answered but, what would you say is the best way to get into the game industry from a writing perspective?

First of all, I couldn’t help but notice that this question was your first post under this login. If you’ve just joined us, welcome to Bungie.net! If you created that account to side-step an old ban, try and keep your nose clean this time. I won’t tell a soul. As for your question, I would recommend reading up on this guy or this guy. They’re both rather strange, but they’ve survived the trek that you’re contemplating.

QuirkyNate What is your favorite heist movie?

Michael Strein

Kurt Nellis

John Stvan

Jay Thaler

Chris Owens

Matt Richenberg

Alex Loret de Mola

Andrea Fonger

Geegs30 Does the studio go through any noticeable changes during the Fall?

This place becomes home to more hoodies than the Jedi Academy. Eh, Panel?

It gains about 10 pounds.Pat Jandro

It gets dark around 2:30 and the whole studio feels like a cave.Kurt Nellis

We all talk about how the sun is gone and start drinking even more coffee as we break out our collection of polar fleece and plaid.Andrea Fonger

IslocStarkiller Any Bungie employees gonna see how their baby is doing?

In video game years, our ringed friend is really more like a young adult that has left home to make its way in the world. Just like you, we have images from simpler times burned into our minds, we can remember the finer moments from its upbringing, and we expect to continue to see great things from it in the future.

Los Lotus What are you doing on November 6th?

Voting and stomping grunts. Make sure you do get around to doing both as well. In both cases, you’ll be wielding some of the most awesome power ever imagined in the universe.

KUZOKU85 What advice do you have for a man with a broken heart?

It would be indelicate for me to dismiss this obvious cry for help with a gruff challenge that you “Man Up!” This is a question for the Panel…

Go get a tattoo that reminds you of him/her/it. Wait…no.Pat Jandro

Duct Tape. That stuff fixes everything.Travis Pijut

Time heals all wounds.Zeke Garcia

Stay busy. If you don’t stay busy your heart hurts. Workout, read books, play video games. Word on the street is that Bungie has made a couple that are pretty fun!Michael Strein

The Return to Ravnica prerelease is going on this weekend: get out there and play! You’re bound to have a good time, and who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a nice geeky gal!Alex Loret de Mola

burritosenior Some developers go to other sites to give information. Even after the next game comes out, will you hold true to giving those of us that have stuck around here information first?

We have grand and ambitious plans for the Seventh Column faithful. In many cases, we fully intend for our most loyal fans to get information first. In other scenarios, we’d rather make an experience deeper, more engaging, and more meaningful after an initial hit of news and information intended for a broader audience. This party can only get better if we add more people to the dance floor. We think about this to an obsessive degree of detail, and we think you’re going to like what we have in the works. Only time will tell.

BlackHeaven Is the video game industry where you originally planned to work? If not, what were your original plans?

Well, I might have had some surreal dreams when I was a wee-child but this is definitely where I wanted to end up once I started thinking about “a career” in high school.Pat Jandro

Space, the final frontier.John Shaffstall

When I was like 6, yes. Then I was going to go into Physics, and then briefly 3D Graphics. Then I realized my 6 year old self had it right.Travis Pijut

Nope. I started out in SFX in film.Kurt Nellis

I was gonna be a cowboy. There’s still time.John Stvan

Bungie is where I wanted to work since my freshman year of college. Mission accomplished.Michael Strein

It’s where I always wanted to work, but I never had much of a plan. I studied computer science in school thinking I would become a game programmer, but it ended up being writing skills and ability in a second language that got me into the industry - on the localization side of things.Tom Slattery

Well, it wasn’t where I originally planned to work: but there was a long time when I was younger where I wanted to, and I let that dream slip for a while… but somehow it came around and found me in a way. That is to say, I found it right when I think I needed it and was finally ready for it.Alex Loret de Mola

I wanted to become a theoretical physicist and develop a Grand Unified Theory of Everything. But then I realized that would be hard and that I enjoyed playing video games instead.Chris Butcher

spawn031 Blue flames please.

LIGTHNING ROUND!

ScooterDad72 How awesome it would be to live the good life?
Pretty awesome.

pureXownage How many mail sacks have there been?
At least two that I can remember.

Valiant Outcast What is the closest you have come to accidentally revealing details about Bungie's new game?
Nice try.

wrcfan Do you agree that poutine is food of the gods?
No. What’s that?

Mythical Wolf If I were to leave and never come back, would you miss me?
No. I mean, Yes!

That final sprint has me feeling spent. You have reached the bottom of this Sack. To repeat this process – we do so enjoy the weekly ritual, you must know – please report to the mail room on Monday. Until then, keep the party raging. There will be a bright light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.

Reverse Mail Sack 2.0

Back by popular demand: we ask, you answer…

No good conversation is one-sided. There are times when listening is more important than talking. We spend a lot of energy at Bungie listening to the passionate gamers in our community, so it makes all the sense in the world to put them to the question from time to time. At their request, the inquisition for this week has been inverted. When gamers talk about what motivates them, there is no wrong answer. The entire spectrum of answers can be browsed on our forum, but here are some the highlights…

Noah George, Sever Ninja
Do you think the game community could be doing more to cut down on harassment or unsporting behavior in general?

QuirkyNate

antony X1000 I don't think so. With the anonymity that comes with online gaming, people can act like jerks without many consequences. Although with features like muting, blocking communications and submitting player reviews, it's not a massive problem in my opinion. The community has the tools to deal with harassment and unsporting behavior. They just need to use them.

Kickimanjaro If games are to be treated as sports, and that certainly has been happening, then sportsmanship must also play a part. The people who organize the competitive events have the duty to enforce rules that encourage good sportsmanship.

Jujubes Yes, but not at the expense of playability in games. In my opinion, social gaming structures like clans help a lot.

DE4THINC4RN4TE We should have things to do that for us. Algorithms. Big ass, fancy Algorithms.

Telec There can never be too many positive role models.

cortana 5 Absolutely. A better attitude in gaming, be it causal or competitive, is going to start with the attitude of the gamers. Developers can only do so much to quell the bad behavior of the masses. Gamers, you need to call it out as you see it. Don't stay quiet when some jerk is verbally ripping someone to shreds online. You're making that victim feel alone and helpless.

Jay Thaler, Engineer
The zombie apocalypse is upon us. Most of humanity has already fallen to the hordes of flesh-eaters. You have survived because of your ingenuity, cat-like reflexes, and dashing good looks. As you travel in search of food, you find a grizzled old man who offers to give you a powerful weapon. Now is your chance to make a difference in this battle against the undead. You can choose any one weapon, real or fictional. What do you choose and why?

Khirna Something that doesn't need ammo, or a power source, and won't break or need repair: The ability to control the force!

Frag Ingot I would choose the illustrious "Cure Spell." Nothing does more damage to the undead than a cure.

Dropship dude The Iron Man suit. "But that's not a weapon!" I hear you cry. Well, the United States Government would disagree. No zombie will be able to bite through the powerful exoskeleton and the ability to fly away from danger and defend yourself is the perfect combination of assets. It boasts enough firepower to defend a small population too, so it's not all for my own survival.

Xplode441 I choose a crossbow. If you have the ingenuity, you can create bolts from the materials around you and it's quiet.

MightyMarcher01 Does it count if I say Batman's utility belt? I'm sure I could find some zombie repellant if I looked hard enough.

EuAn1196 Weapons are over-rated. I would take a zombie Halloween mask, so I can blend in.

coolmike699 I would choose a machine gun that fires chainsaws. Do I really need to explain this one?

Ryan Klaverweide, Graphic Designer
What do you think is missing from video games right now?

welder1stdegree A sense of purpose beyond reaching the next checkpoint or gaining credits and rank. I'd like to know that I was having an actual affect upon, or helping to shape the world I'm in for better or worse.

LordMonkey Your Mom.

Disambiguation Replayability. Too many games are coming out lately with a $60 price tag that are really only good for one 10-12 hour experience, and I can't help but feel ripped off.

ToastyWaffles Bold, new ideas. Most developers seem content to "play it safe" and conform to all the popular genre conventions, making only a few minor changes to the trusted formula. I'd like to see a real game changer in the industry; a radical new take on gaming.

catman6 Customization for most FPS games and creativity for non FPS games. FPS games seem to be single minded with a singular direction but they generally offer creative elements. Non FPS games seem to offer customization and freedom but the quests seem to be very repetitive.

A 3 Legged Goat Challenge and innovation. A lot of games are just playing it safe these days and they don't want to stump the player or force them to apply practical skills to play. This takes away a key strategic component that I feel gamers once had to master.

Brad Loos, Engineer
How and when did you first fall in love with Halo?

Bricypoo It seems so, so long ago. I first got into Halo when I played it at a friend’s house, which made me want it. So my brother and I ended up getting Halo and Halo 2 for Christmas. I remember getting together with 15 other guys just to play Halo. Those were the days that really turned me from Nintendo games to Xbox games.

SkilPhil Halo 2 multiplayer. This was the first time I could sit in my living room with a friend playing against other people sitting in their living rooms playing with a friend. No AI can beat the uncertainty and camaraderie of playing with and against real people.

jyrine Early 2007 before Halo 3 dropped. I started playing Halo CE non-stop: broken arm, best six months ever. Still got a 4.0.

Bulldawg61 My wife bought Halo with the original Xbox when it launched. Judging it by its cover, I didn't care much for playing it, but she insisted that I keep it. Upon crash-landing in a pelican on Halo, I was able to head-shot my first grunt. Now she wishes she hadn't convinced me to keep it.

WestCoastRonin When I was 14, I traded all my PlayStation games to get store credit to buy an Xbox and a game I had heard about called Halo. I was in love the minute I used the M6D Magnum and the SRS99C Sniper Rifle.

Kr1egerdude My first experience with Halo was when I was at my cousin's birthday party and all of his friends were gathered around the TV. They were playing 4 player split-screen on Coagulation. Instead of playing Slayer they were doing rocket jumps, super jumps, honor-rule Infection, and running each other over with Warthogs. I never saw people having so much fun without playing competitively. They handed me the controller and I crushed people with the grill of my Warthog.

BC1096 When I was 7 I was looking through a disk of game demos my brother had and I saw the Halo CE demo. Looking at it I was like, "This green robot dude looks awesome!" so I started it up. The mission in the demo was Silent Cartographer, my favorite halo mission ever. As a kid, storming a beach with a crap load of soldiers was a dream come true. My god, was I hooked.

BONUS: This came our way via email. I had to share.

Matthew In 2008, my first fiancé passed away after a car accident. I was devastated. My college roommate had introduced me to Halo. During times of stress, we would immerse ourselves in that universe. After my fiancé died, I tried to think of things that would help me escape the harsh reality. I remembered the joy that Halo brought to me when I was stressed out in college. I went out and bought an Xbox 360 and Halo 3. I played Halo 3 whenever I was feeling down or sad. I would just like to truly thank Bungie and all of the employees that had helped create Halo. I believe it helped me and saved me from slipping into depression. It truly was and still is a magical experience to this day. Now I have a beautiful wife who also loves to play Halo with me. I own every Halo game. They are all remarkable, but Halo 3 will always hold a special place in my heart. It will always be my favorite video game. It is very sentimental to me.

Matthew Ward, Cinematic Designer
Which movie would you most like to play as a video game?

ARBITOR 5

xXIHAYD0IXx

lime013

CoRaMo

KUZOKU85

TuffJuice

Chewbaccawakka

Michael Williams, Engineer
What is the most memorable positive experience you had with a stranger while gaming online?

joe campbell Meeting my old clan leader. One day, I joined a random friend's custom game in Halo 3. I had a conversation with the person who would eventually become my clan leader and long-time friend. Years later, we were still playing tournaments. He taught me most of what I know about competitive gaming. To this day, we still text each other. It's funny how you can meet such a good friend from the most random occurrences.

Kalriq I was playing Zombie Panic Source with some friends. They all got wiped out early on, and it was me and a few randoms left in the game. With the undead clawing at our barricades, we did an inventory, formed a plan, and tried to break out of our predicament. One member of our party selflessly chose to stay behind and hold off the hordes of undead, while the rest of us ran. When a member of our group was infected, he told us, rather than waiting for our backs to be turned when he transformed, sacrificing easy kills for our safety! It was like some totally clichéd zombie film, but I don't think I've ever had so much fun. I still play with some of those guys now. There's nothing like a horde of ravenous zombies to bring people together!

T1B3R7uMB0YXVI It would have to be playing Battlefield 3 with a group of Bungie guys during the Pentathlon. I had this most inspired moment when Stosh pwned everyone as a gunner when I was the driver. Stosh and I were the most powerful players, better than a squadron of tanks, and we eventually knew about teamwork without voice.

AutobahnRacer This one time, I was playing Modern Warfare 2, and I invited a bunch of my other B.net pals (if you were there, you're awesome). They all joined, and we loaded up a game of Team Deathmatch. All of us equipped Riot Shields. Our team spawned, popped smoke grenades, and formed a phalanx with our riot shields while shouting "THIS IS SPARTA!" into our microphones. The post-game banter with the opposing team was probably one of the most entertaining conversations that I've had with anyone, ever.

Statefarm98 I met this one random person on Halo 3. We played one game, and for some reason we ended up working together really well. Now, we've talked for three years straight (without even meeting in real life). He's pretty cool, and I had never met someone online who I've actually become friends with.

I ColdEmbrace I After getting the game winning kill in Halo: Reach with a Needler, I received a message from someone on the other team saying, "Nietzsche wouldn't use a Needler!" (I have a Nietzsche reference as my motto.) We had a good chuckle over it and ended up playing a few games together. Personally, I think Nietzsche would use whatever weapon you would least expect.

Kiarah94 I was playing with someone online who is really good and I was not doing so well. I was doubting myself when this guy said I could do anything if I try hard enough. I decided that, in the next game, I would go all out. I finished with my first Perfection medal. There was a guy complaining in game chat and my teammate said “You just got beat by a girl.” Everyone just goes quiet. I felt so Powerful! Now, I never doubt myself - and we are really good friends.

Ben Wommack, Production Engineer
Which do you think makes a better e-sport: Dota / League of Legends or Starcraft 2? Why?

SpAmMer Despite LoL's booming popularity and excellent developer support for e-sports, as a ten year veteran of Starcraft, I'd say it still takes the most skill to master - and is hands down the most entertaining.

Hylebos I think it's pretty cool how League of Legends has over a hundred different champions to master. Each professional has their preferred roles and their preferred champions that they become renowned for, and following the metagame is both easy for spectators and very interesting.

Geegs30 I would have to say League of Legends because, unlike Starcraft, it's a team sport, and it's easier to pick up compared to DOTA. People who watch it for the first time can understand what's going on, and there's rich, deep strategy behind what each team is doing.

MasterSin StarCraft 2. It's an amazing game with a great option to create custom maps and toy with all the units of the game.

spawn031 Starcraft 2. You can't beat this...

Austin Spafford, Engineer
If you could easily teach a thousand people one idea, what would it be?

Disambiguation The scientific method.

Verachi If you use the bathroom in an all-girl house or apartment, DO NOT leave the seat up. Female species are not amused when you do that, Bad things happen. *shudders*

ChorrizoTapatio I would teach people that “your” and “you're” do not mean the same thing. COME ON PEOPLE.

Krimm117 “Half for one's own happiness, and half for the happiness of others.” -Doshin So
While this sounds an awful lot like the Golden Rule, the meaning goes a bit deeper for me. The Golden Rule asks us to "treat others the way we would like to be treated," which can be superficially interpreted. For example, the Golden Rule allows room for undue selfishness and hatred, as long as you outwardly appear to be a decent person. That’s not good enough. “Half for one's own happiness, and half for the happiness of others,” on the other hand, advocates a deeper sense of consideration and respect for others as part of your being, rather than simply how you behave in public.

Queens Knights Seek first to understand. Then seek to be understood.

GrandmasterNinja Do what you love to do. Why? The best painter is the one who loves to paint, and the best runner is the one who loves to run. You usually do your best work when you love what you're doing because you enjoy every second of it.

SPRTN One One 7 There will always be someone better than you at something.

Mike Forrest, Engineer
Is there one game (other than Halo) that you can point to that really hooked you and turned you into a gamer? What was it and why?

jacob crawford Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. When I first got an Xbox, I was watching my friends play WoW, and liked the idea of character leveling. The plot twists in KOTOR totally blew me away, and I loved the different features reminiscent of the movies.

RigZ Boi Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II. It was something about becoming an angry ginger dwarf wielding a battle axe larger than my character that appealed to me. The joys I had playing that game with my older brother will be a memory I hope I never forget. Brilliant stuff.

Unanimate Objec Trials: Evolution. That game contains one of the most revered and acknowledged contents of any good game: A Challenge. The Challenge is what makes you feel satisfied at the end of a game. It is the reason you keep coming back, and the reason you will never leave.

Odd Hacker World of Warcraft. Before WoW, I was a very casual gamer. After WoW came out I spent thousands of hours preparing for raids, reading forums, and performing spreadsheet-Kung-Fu to sort my gear. Why? It feels amazing to work with other people to take down a boss.

LC o MagiikZ Mario. There is something about that overweight Italian plumber that reaches my heart, and will always have a place there. The first game I ever played was a Mario one, and I own a lot of the games. In my opinion, Mario is an iconic symbol in gaming.

IonicPaul Marathon. Watching my dad play it almost every night when I was young interested me, and getting to shoot aliens with a variety of weapons is a little boy's dream. Marathon was, quite literally, a dream come true, and I've played it consistently through the years. Its Bungie origins led me to Halo, and by extension, every other game I've played via the online community.

DeeJ Adventure on the Atari 2600 sank the hook pretty deep, but it was Halo 2 that turned gaming into a hobby that stayed with me even when I was away from the console. From then on, leading a clan became my own private MMO - and a more rewarding experience than any solitary engagement ever was. I know, I know... I'm jumping the fence here to answer this question, but all this role reversal has me so confused as to where I belong.

We'll be getting back to business as usual next week. It will be your turn again to put us to the question. The Mail Room opens again, in its usual fashion, on Monday.

Breaking In - David Henry

Bring the noise...

Listen… Can you hear that? Well, of course you can’t. This interview makes less noise than a silent film. Now, just imagine if our games were like that. They’d be pretty boring, wouldn’t they? We’re in luck, however, because guys like this are on the team…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

Why hello! I’m David Henry, and I’m a Senior Audio Designer here at Bungie. Basically that means I make noise – weapon noise, vehicle noise, character noise, ambient noise, junk-sitting-around-in-the-world noise, and any other noise that might be called for. Then I work with the rest of the audio team to help mix all the noise together and end up with a beautiful, rich, and compelling aural palette for the world we’re building.

What are your interests outside of work?

Spending time with my family is the big thing – life is too short not to prioritize the people you love over everything else. Apart from that, I’m a pilot (private, instrument rated for those that understand and care what that means) and love flying. I play a bunch of games, do all the requisite outdoorsy stuff that we are drawn to in the Pacific Northwest, and participate in a few of the Bungie sports teams. I’ve also been getting into gardening in the past couple years – I’ve got this dream or growing a bowl of salsa from seed, although in Seattle that’s probably a fool’s errand. So far I’ve had the most luck with cabbage. People around the office can vouch for that because a lot of them have been given gifts of cabbage. Anybody want some cabbage?

I’m good, thanks. Where else have you applied your green thumb to the act of bringing the noise to games?

I’ve been in the industry for a pretty long time – 18 years, 17 of them creating audio for games. I started at Sierra On-Line making adventure games in the 90’s, moved over to Microsoft for about 10 years, and then joined up with Bungie for about the last year of Reach. Who remembers the grenade launcher? Or the Falcon? Or the assassinations? I made those noises.

Were you a noisy kid as well? If we went back in time, and asked him what he wanted to do with his life, what would he have said?

Well, at some point, someone had to have asked you to declare a major in school. What was your answer?

When I was in school there was no such thing as a game audio program, so people from my generation needed to learn how to take the skills we learned – mostly as music majors – and adapt them to the gaming industry. There were no classes in Pro Tools, nothing about mixing or mastering, no introduction to recording studio technology. There were a couple classes that involved MIDI, but not many and we don’t use MIDI much these days.

I’ve got a music degree in Jazz Studies (Arranging) and a minor in Music Theory from The University of North Texas. Clearly I’m not arranging jazz as part of my day-to-day responsibilities, but a lot of what I picked up in school does cross over nicely to game development. That would include critical listening, striving for perfection in everything I’m creating, and adhering to aggressive schedules all while being willing to work hard on something and then throw it away and start over when it’s not headed in the right direction.

That’s something I see people new to the industry struggling with all the time – spending a great deal of effort on a thing that may be a good thing, but isn’t always the right thing. Then falling in love with it and trying to manipulate it into being the right thing. Sometimes the ticket to success is throwing away the thing you love and starting again. For any creative person this can be a really painful process. It can feel like tearing out a little part of your soul and tossing it aside. In the end, though, letting go of that initial creation is often the path to discovering a better creation.

Honestly, people coming out of a lot of these game audio programs that schools are offering now are a lot better prepared to work in the industry than anyone was back when I started. I think that’s a good thing.

You’re really on a roll. Keep it up and tell us how you started to build your relationship with Bungie.

I’m going to assume people won’t be interested in my real answer to this question (I’d been successfully shipping games for 15 years and was well known among industry-folk), so I’m gonna answer a different question.

Wait. I’m asking the questions here…

“David Henry, please tell the people of Earth how you got into this highly competitive industry with no real experience at all? Sure, you were OK at writing big band music, but what does that have to do with sound for video games?”

Okay. That is a better question (although the “people of Earth” thing was a little over the top). You may proceed with talking to yourself. How did you break in to this business?

I got lucky. It was somewhat directed luck, but it was luck nonetheless. I was working in the Corporate Sales department at Sierra Online and trying to figure out how to wrangle my way into doing music for their games. At the time, they were just starting to move some of their development teams to their new Bellevue office (the one where I worked), and one of those teams signed Michel LeGrand to write “thematic musical material” for the game (drop his name into Google, young people – he’s one of the greatest living composers we’ve got and you should know who he is).

Mr. LeGrand delivered a DAT (look that one up too, kids) of about 10 incredibly wonderful pieces of music performed by himself on piano, sometimes also singing a melody. Nobody on the team really knew quite what to do with this – the music was fantastic, but in a format that couldn’t be used in the game.

It turned out that there was this kid from upstairs in Corporate Sales that had been pestering the Producer of this game and given him a tape of all these big band tunes he written and arranged. Maybe that kid would have the chops to transcribe this fantastic music and turn it into a game score.

Let me guess…

That was me, and I did. It was an incredible ton of work in a very short timeframe, but also hugely rewarding.

I guess the moral of the story is that you never know what an opportunity is going to look like, but it pays to be ready when one comes along. And don’t discount the long-term value of directed luck.

Well, it wasn’t all luck. You did pester the guy, after all – which is what we call “networking” in the modern job market. Can you share your experiences in pestering your way onto the team at Bungie?

I don’t think anyone wants to hear about my interview at Bungie. For one thing, it was about an 18 month process.

Fair enough. We’ll skip the long story and cut to the chase. What is it about working for Bungie that is worthy of an 18 month-long campaign?

The audio team here is truly a spectacular group. Having this much talent and creative energy in one studio – well, I’m not sure it should be legal. In all seriousness, it’s really rewarding to be able to be able to bounce ideas off these people and engage in a real creative exchange every day with everything we make.

How does that creative exchange unfold from day to day?

Arrive early, get coffee, work hard, go home late. Repeat “get coffee” part as needed.

Aside from all the coffee you can drink, what is your favorite perk associated with making noise in our games?

All my son’s friends think I’m cool.

You can't put a price on that. It’s very likely that a lot of our readers think you're cool, too. Can you give them sound advice on how they might follow in your footsteps?

Get a good education. Work hard. Do something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Be prepared for a lot of rejection. Don’t give up. It’s every bit as rewarding as it seems.

I have pestered you for long enough. Let’s close out this duet with a final question: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

Work ethic, talent, experience. Experience means nothing by its self, and both talent and experience are useless without a solid work ethic.

David’s story may be rare, but even the largest body of work begins with one chance. There are many dance steps that lead to Bungie, but many of the first ones are planted elsewhere. To see where many of us started, check out the Breaking In archive.

Breaking In - Mike Forrest

Buffing the Banhammer...

When our next game is released into the wild to be played by the masses, we hope you’ll all play it the way it was meant to be played. None of you would ever try to hack our code or cheat the system. Right? Wrong! Bungie knows all about the evildoers who will try to bend our rules to their advantage. Some of you might even pull it off. Fortunately, it won’t be easy, thanks to unsung heroes like this guy…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is Mike Forrest and I’m a new Senior Engineer at Bungie, but I’m also known around here as “The New Security Guy.” I was hired to bring extra firepower to everything security-related, and that covers a lot of areas: game code, servers, design & code reviews, networking, cryptography, hack/cheat detection, beefing up the banhammer, and so on.

Nice to meet you. Tell us about yourself before you tell us about your work in terms that are vague-enough to deprive would-be hackers of clues about your secret weakness. When you’re not fortifying our new game universe, what might we find you doing?

Gaming, programming, and exploring the area with my two dogs.

Can those doggies sniff out a cheater as well as you can? Where did you develop such a sensitive nose to guide the hands that wield the dreaded Banhammer?

I’ve worked as an IT guy and software developer in a bunch of non-game-related industries. My most recent job was at a hedge fund writing financial trading systems. Part of my responsibilities there included security design and code reviews. Before that I worked for an online auction site writing code and doing anti-fraud work, and prior to that I worked for a software startup that builds authentication systems.

So you’ve gone from busting actual criminals to helping us root out video game villains? Did you always want to be a digital crime fighter?

I’ve always wanted to be a programmer. I started with Apple II Basic in probably around 2nd or 3rd grade and never looked back.

You couldn’t have learned everything from that Apple. Where else did you hone your skills as a coder for the forces of good?

When it comes to programming, I’m largely self-taught with some more formal education scattered around. I learned a lot at computer camp: including Pascal, C, and 6502 and 8086 assembly language. While in high school I took more advanced classes in data structures and algorithms, things no programmer can do without.

How did you first approach us about lending your counter-fraud skills to keep the world safe for honest gamers?

Like many, I emailed in my resume through the link on the web site. It’s hard to say what caught their eye, but the best advice that I got was to focus on what I’m passionate about doing and make sure that it came through in my resume.

Passion will get you started, but it doesn’t win the race. Are the rumors true about the marathon that is the Bungie interview loop? How did you go the distance?

It’s a long day, so staying focused and in the moment can be difficult. It’s not always easy to clear your mind of what happened earlier in the day. It’s also important to not get flustered when the solution to a problem doesn’t immediately pop into your head. I’ve conducted enough engineering interviews to know that the interviewer is often more interested in seeing how you work through the problem than they are whether or not you get to the solution correct. How you think is very often more important than what you know. But it’s easy to lose sight of that when you’re on the other end of it.

I like the way you think, and the fact that we’re having this little chat is evidence that Bungie did, too. What’s the best thing about your new role on our team?

The knowledge that I’m helping make life more difficult for cheaters and more enjoyable for honorable players.

You make writing code sound so glamorous and exciting, but what is one day really like inside our secure location?

I started the day before Bungie Day, so my first week was pretty interesting. But it turns out that getting knighted and playing games all afternoon isn’t your typical Tuesday.

You’re right. We usually save the knightings for Wednesday. Aside from being issued a wooden sword, what’s the one thing we do that makes you feel noble and mighty?

So far it’s the mountains of Bungie swag. And they pay me to work on games.

We pay you to defend games from malicious attacks. I still have nightmares about the Halo 2 weapon that launched trains instead of rockets. Have you made progress in locking those ne’er-do-wells out of our next game?

I’m still getting my feet wet so my contributions have been limited so far. My favorite work so far has been learning about the low level architecture of the Xbox 360 while optimizing various bits of encryption code. I’ve always enjoyed squeezing performance out of systems and working within the confines of a console game engine is a great excuse to exercise that muscle.

Pardon me while I extend your metaphor just a little farther. How do you exercise that muscle until it reaches super hero levels of strength?

I try to stay current with what’s going on in my field. “Security” encompasses such a broad variety of areas that being an expert in all of them is impossible. So I try to keep up with the latest developments and techniques so I at least know what to look out for and where to look for assistance if there’s something that could help or hurt us.

If hackers never stop adapting, than neither can we, eh? Imagine that an aspiring programmer is reading these words, and has become inspired to join your fight. What sage lessons of mentorship would you provide?

I’m new to the industry, but it seems to me that game companies are pulling in people with an ever widening variety of backgrounds. Games are transforming into online, multimedia, social experiences. There’s a need for a lot of different skills so don’t be discouraged if you don’t fit into one of the traditional game developer roles.

We’ve kept you from your crucial work for long enough. I can almost sense the hackers getting stronger while we jabber on like this. Before you go, give us some perspective on your priorities: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

Security is a mindset more than anything, and that mindset is built up with experience. If you’re in a security-related field and you’re not constantly learning, then You’re Doing It Wrong.

Sitting still is obviously an occupational hazard for Mike, so we will release him to his post. His story reveals that there are many in-roads to the industry that makes games, and not all of them are obvious. A pretty comprehensive roadmap is emerging in the form of the Breaking In archive, if you’d like to explore all of the unseen highways that lead to our halls of justice.

The Mail Sack Saves the World

Or at least it has some good ideas...

Hot damn! Sometimes the reaction in our studio to your mail is like a pin-prick at the end of a finger. Every once in a while, for reasons I have yet to discern, your questions open a jugular vein of community love. Check out the virtual riot mob who lined up to bleed out their wisdom and sardonic nonsense for your reading pleasure this week.

Just look at that panel, teeming with chatty developers! I think I just set back the reveal of our game another month. At least we get to open the Sack.

So, Bungie Community, now that we’re all here, what shall we talk about?

Achilles1108 #Dragons

Oh, c’mon! Are you guys still forcing that flaccid attempt at a meme down our throats? Give it up. It’s not gonna become a Thing. All you’re doing is angering the Forum Ninjas. In fact, every time one of you stuffs a mention about dragons into a conversation where it doesn’t belong, Foman assassinates a noob.

realcommando8426 Let’s talk about the new games you guys are gonna make.

Wow. You new here? Have a seat - I’ll get to you in a minute. If you overhear someone talking about dragons, I recommend you run for your life.

DE4THINC4RN4TE How would you make the world a better place? (realistically)

I would revamp the Driver’s Education curriculum in the State of Washington to place more emphasis on urgent freeway merging and how to negotiate a four-way stop – but these are just selfish musings of a recently transplanted, overly-aggressive motorist. I am sure our panel can do a better job of healing the world…

In an effort to reduce crime (or at least create more intelligent criminals), each city gets one cell for its jail. If you commit a crime in that city and are caught and sentenced, you wait out your time in that cell. Should you reach the end of your sentence, you are free to go. Should another criminal in the same city get caught and sentenced to jail time, you, being the cell’s inhabitant, is executed. I think most criminals have faith in their own skills (believing they won’t get caught), but few have faith in other criminal’s skills. If nothing else, we would end up creating a legion of super Criminals. Harsh? Yes. Effective? I think so. Oh yeah, did I mention I’m a manager at Bungie?Dave Matthews

Help people have intrinsic motivation in their work.Jonty Barnes

I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony.John Hopson

Have everyone spend some time re-evaluating their beliefs and goals. A day or two would probably do it.Derek Carroll

Be nice to those I interact with, and give what I can to help those who are in need.David Johnson

Be excellent to each other.Dan Miller

Get rid of money.Alexis Haraux

Wait.Mat Noguchi

So that was YOU at the four-way stop this morning!

defnop552 You're running for "Mayor of The Universe", what 3 policies will you introduce if voted into power?

1. The Spice must flow.
2. We will push our boundaries and explore other dimensions.
3. Free towels for all citizens.Dave Matthews

1. The ability at the age of 16 to choose 3 super powers.
2. The ability at the age of 18 for your parents to choose 2 powers to take away.
3. The right of the intergalactic space government at the age of 21 to apply one random super power to you. Andy Howell

When confronted with so much possibility, all I could come up with is making it mandatory for people’s actions to always be in the interest of helping or entertaining others.Jonty Barnes

1. Earth is home base.
2. Pluto is out of bounds.
3. You’re itAlan Stuart

1. Don't be a jerk.
2. Don't be a jerk.
3. Don't be a jerk.Austin Spafford

1. Transformers are a real thing.
2. Everyone gets a puppy.
3. No more pants.James Tsai

1. Mandatory corporate naptime.
2. Require that proper spelling and grammar be demonstrated before a license to the Internet can be obtained.
3. Universal ice cream Thursdays for everyone.David Johnson

I am officially volunteering to be Johnson’s campaign manager. Unfortunately, before we can start kissing babies, we'll need to establish dominance over the whole universe so that we can actually elect a Mayor.

Thrasher Fan Any hidden talent(s)?

I am a former improv actor and I love to sing. Andy Howell

The ability to pick my nose in public and suffer no embarrassment whatsoever.James Tsai

Come find me on the track and I’ll show you.Dave Matthews

All my talents have been revealed and tested since joining Bungie, or they’re hidden from me too.Jonty Barnes

I can lick my elbow.Derek Carroll

I can write backwards, both in print and in cursive. This is useful only for signing things in funny ways and writing “Help, I’m trapped in the whiteboard!”David Johnson

I can whistle with my mouth wide open without moving my lips by shaping my tongue against the roof of my mouth.Alan Stuart

Yes, but they are hidden for a reason.Dan Miller

I can eat six saltines in under a minute with reasonable reliability.Austin Spafford

I can become invisible (but only for 1/240 of a second).Alexis Haraux

xfuzzlex Did you play Halo 4 at PAX?

Yep. It’s looking sweet. Thanks to Angel for letting me jump the rope, and thanks to Wu for giving me the courage to do so.

Brusah Would you say that the build of your new game looks decent yet?

I don't consider it "donating", but I've backed a number of projects since Kickstarter, um, started. You can see my history here. I'm very happy with my rate of return (measured in tchotchkes, t-shirts, games, etc.), but I really enjoy helping other creative people bring their ideas to fruition.Derek Carroll

antony X1000 What is your favourite fictional weapon in a video game?

The Drunk Missiles from Rise of the Triad. They just go everywhere without warning - great 90’s games fun! Also, of course, the “birthday party” skull from Halo. Don’t try to tell me it’s not a weapon.
Andy Howell

AxJARxOFxDIRT Now that everyone is "officially" back at school, what was your favorite class throughout all your school years? Coloring, US History, Advanced Petroleum Engineering? Could be anything.

DRAMA! It was great after stuffy classes to cut loose and just be silly.
Andy Howell

The computer class where I used the school network to get about thirty people to play Quake every day while one person in the class did all the work for everyone.
Josh Hamrick

Anatomy. The human body is a fascinating structure.
Chris Owens

Math or Physics – I also really liked band.
Michael Strein

Outside of my major, I’d have to say that I loved every class of Spanish that I ever took.
David Johnson

Although I’m an engineer, my favorite class was drama class. Change a few, small variables in my life and I might have been Bruce Willis.
Alan Stuart

Visual Communications (Broadcasting).
Dan Miller

Linear Algebra, with Ceramics following close behind.
Austin Spafford

“Oops I didn’t hear my alarm clock” 101.
Alexis Haraux

Tech Ed, which was like an introduction to engineering, metalworking, and mechanics all in one. We made everything from hot air balloons to actual get-you-expelled swords.
Tyson Green

In college, I took an elective ice skating class where you got an A as long as you showed up, and the instructors were all sorority girls. Kind of a no-brainer when compared against my engineering classes.
James Tsai

Colingo If Bungie started selling action figures based on employees, what cool accessories would your action figure come with?

An Aussie hat, a wardrobe full of videogame-related shirts, and a narwhal.
David Johnson

An even smaller action figure of itself and a six pack of Diet Mountain Dew.
Mike Forrest

A giant coffee mug, a motorcycle helmet, an Xbox controller, and a picture of my wife.
Alan Stuart

A french baguette and a saucisson.
Alexis Haraux

Red Bull and Trident Gum.
Dan Miller

A boonie hat, and perhaps a shotgun.
Tyson Green

spawn031 If I keep my question less to than 140 characters, is it more likely to get answered?

The people at twitter believe that brevity is the soul of wit. We’re not so strict about enforcing a standard for chatter here on Bungie.net. I pay a visit to twitter a few times a day to invite people to the party we host here, and to drop-kick the poor lost souls who are complaining to the wrong people about their Halo: Reach bans.

GoatGuy1 My goat gave birth to two twin males today. If you were to name them, what names would you chose for these baby goats?

Frank Capezzuto and Travis Brady.
James Tsai

Romulus and Remus.
Austin Spafford

Kodo and Podo.
Andy Howell

Pantysgawn and Brunost.
Dave Matthews

Milk and Cheese.
Josh Hamrick

Chewy and Han.
Jonty Barnes

HELLO and JPG.
Derek Carroll

The Furry Commodore and Captain G.
Chris Owens

Mister and Chief.
David Johnson

Kurt Göatel and Vincent Van Goat.
Mike Forrest

Farnsworth and Wommack.
Matt Sammons

Goat and Sir Samuel Franken Marbleberry III Esquire.
Dan Miller

Diablo & Mephisto.
Alexis Haraux

Vexlar the Insatiable Maw and Omnimagnus.
Tyson Green

arzeik If you could choose a fictitious world to live in, which one would it be?

The fan boy in me says Game of Thrones, but the realist in me says Futurama. Wait… is that backwards?
Andy Howell

Rama.
Austin Spafford

Valhalla – fight all day long, then drink ant party at night… rinse and repeat… how awesome!
Dave Matthews

The world of The Diamond Age is pretty cool. Most fiction has good places for certain people to live in, and the nature of drama means that not everyone has it so good.
Derek Carroll

The Quentin Tarantino Universe.
Chris Owens

Harry Potter, hands down. That world seems like it has all the perks of living in modern times plus all of the awesome bits of being able to use magic.
David Johnson

Azeroth.
Alan Stuart

Tron.
Dan Miller

In the Smurfs’ village.
Alexis Haraux

Sloanus When will we be getting a new podcast?

I don’t know. Do people listen to those anymore? Seriously. Someone asked me that question just this week.

St Major Dan What would be your Utopia?

A wise man once told me that our utopias are unknown – meaning to say that the concept is always just out of reach. That might sound a little cynical, but that dude saved my ass in a lot of combat on Xbox LIVE, so I trust his insight. Maybe our panel can dream up an impossible dream. That is what most of them do for a living, after all…

“It is always an easy problem to solve when you aren’t responsible for the solution.”
Alan Stuart

“Always be closing.”
Dan Miller

"Blam!"
Austin Spafford

“We have a lot of potential to put spiders on the other side of that river. And I am committed to delivering on that potential.”
Tyson Green

DesertStormer27 Will we have another fun challenge like we did last week? (Please say yes, PLEASE)

Some of you have a bizarre opinion about the notion of “fun,” but okay. Those of you get a rush from beating your head against a brick wall of maths will be delighted to know that the same puzzlemaster from the last Sack is back with another “misssinglink”:

The clock is ticking, and we are curious to see if you can beat your time from last week.

Breaking In - Rachel Swavely

This interview is rigged...

The days of animating digital puppets that dance on the ends of virtual strings are a thing of the past. Real people move through the spaces of our games now. To turn them into the heroes that you play, and the villains that you fight, we must capture the performances of the actors who portray them. This evolving process relies on the rare skills of this young lady…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is Rachel Swavely and I am Mocap/Rigging Tech Artist here at Bungie. This means I get to put people in those sexy spandex suits covered in reflective markers and capture their performances. Then I get to take it through the pipeline all the way to handing it off to the animators.

That sounds like tremendous fun. We’ll definitely learn more about your work, but only after we get better acquainted. What might we find you doing when you are not animating the actors we lure into our studio?

I love the outdoors, video games (of course), movies, theme parks, traveling around the world, meeting new people and anything that creates an amazing memory.

Do you have any amazing memories of your pre-Bungie career? What were you doing before your world-travels led you to the Spandex Palace?

More Motion Capture! In Los Angeles, I worked as a Capture Operator at one of the biggest studios for mocap in the world. The people that taught me were some of the people that were around since the beginning of motion capture. They improved my skills tremendously.

You’re dealing in some cutting edge technologies that are still very new, so it would be hard for you to tell us that you always dreamt of doing this. What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?

A cartoon! I had and still have a huge imagination.

That actually makes a lot sense, given the work you’re doing now. How did you prepare yourself for a job that lets you turn people into pixelated characters?

I got a Bachelors Degree in Computer Animation and an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts. Problem solving skills would be at the top of my list of preferred skills. Most everything I learned in college still resonates in my mind. It just takes seeing it again to bring the knowledge back.

Joining our team is a challenge that requires a lot of problem solving. How did you overcome the first hurdle of getting our attention in the first place?

When I was in Los Angeles, three Bungie employees (now colleagues) came down the studio where I was working to see how we ran our shoots and get some training. I assisted with both of these. Guess I made an impression! They sure made a magnificent impression on me!

What was the hardest part about making an equally magnificent impression on the people who sat in on your interview loop?

Not going and hugging Master Chief in the Hallway.

That was a wise choice. The Chief is not much of a hugger, but there are other rewards for working here. Which ones do you enjoy?

All of them! I am surrounded by incredible talent everywhere! Plus there are the times when I get to put on one of the mocap suits and run around the Spandex Palace and get my moves recorded!

Is that your favorite part of the job? Or are there are other things about being at Bungie that you prefer?

Have you seen the kitchen filled with food!! Just kidding, even though this is an amazing perk, my favorite perk is my colleagues. They get to pick my brain about what I know and vice versa. Learning from them has broadened my knowledge, which makes me a better artist.

What is your favorite accomplishment as a member of the Bungie team? Describe that one moment in which someone appreciated your work, and assured you that you belonged here…

Wish I could but it is top secret. Makes me feel like a spy or CIA agent, until the big reveal of what we are working on.

Tell me about it. There are a lot of secrets to keep, right now. One thing that’s not a secret is that everyone at Bungie needs to be constantly striving to be better at what they do. How do you meet this challenge?

Learning all scripting languages and keeping up with Motion Capture software and hardware. Technology is always changing; have to be in the know.

If someone decided that they wanted to join you on that forefront of evolution for animation technology, what advice would you give them?

For the Motion Capture industry part of my career my advice is learn as much as you can about all the software and hardware out there that captures motion. Then pick up skills like animating, rigging and scripting.

It’s time for me to finish capturing your performance with this final question: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

All of these valuable traits are equally important. I am a firm believer about nothing is impossible, but ranking these three would be extremely difficult.

I guess we'll be left to solve this problem on our own. If you'd like to discover the answer to this question, check out the Bungie Careers page. We need all kinds of professionals to become Rachel’s coworkers. They will come in all shapes and sizes, and from many different backgrounds. To learn more about the various players that complete Team Bungie, there are profiles of just about every sort in the Breaking In archive.

Quality Time with the Mail Sack

Wrestle your demons...

It was great to meet so many of you at PAX. When a face steps out from behind the username, something magical happens. Forum avatars become actual gamers, and gamers become actual people. There’s nothing like some quality time to insulate us all against an Internet flame war. At Bungie, we love to unmask the people who make games, which is why we take the time to dodge your most serious questions each week.

Here are the living, breathing developers that I crowd-sourced up for you this time.

I have checked, and they all have a pulse. That’s all we need to open the Sack.

randomrosso If you could change the ending to any movie, what would it be?

They would never find Nemo in "Finding Nemo".
Alan Stuart

I enjoyed Rat Race right up until Smash Mouth stated singing “Somebody Once Told Me.” Ugh. Way to ruin that movie for me, Hollywood.
Chris Owens

I would change Return of the Jedi back to how it was... but with less YubYub.
Lorraine McLees

Prometheus would have ended about 15 minutes early, with the protagonist looking around the landscape in panic after both ships had been completely destroyed.
Austin Spafford

Unanimate Objec What's your favorite flame thrower from any game?

ALI217 How do I become famous?

It’s really hard to say. The adoring public can be fickle. There are people who are famous for all of the wrong reasons, and people who should be famous but are completely unknown to the world. Are you the housewife of a wealthy person? Those people tend to get famous for doing little more than falling off a log. Short of curing a dangerous disease or penning the next great novel that captivates everyone’s imaginations, you could always commit a colorful crime and become a media sensation. When I was in college, I used to conspire with a roommate about robbing banks dressed as Klingons, and then staying in character at our eventual trial. In the end, we just didn’t have the courage to risk taking a bullet in the guts from the barrel of some rent-a-cop’s gun.

Okay… okay… The powers that be want me to remind you that Bungie does not condone nor encourage criminal activity of any kind (or reality television). Stay in school and pay your taxes. Happy now?

THE DON WAN What's it like to work with XO Sancho?

Didn't he quit like 6 months ago?
Scott Kankelborg

He makes one fine first baseman.
Pat Jandro

XO Sancho, more frequently referred to as "Don Juan," is fantastic to work with - as long as he isn't distracted by those dating web sites.
Alan Stuart

He smells like a fresh pine forest filled with fairies and meat.
Jason Sussman

We are but lowly peons when XO Sancho is around. He has helped me ship every game since I've been here. It also doesn't hurt that he's a dreamboat and one hell of a snappy dresser.
Lars Bakken

He is a champion of the Great Dave Uprising of 2012, and one of the key powers of our empire. The Matts (the closest thing we have to a competitive faction) fear us, but are too unorganized to do more than grumble about how superior the Daves are. Without Sancho, we probably would not have our own T-shirts.
David Candland

Editor’s Note: As a Capo in the Dave Mafia at Bungie, I can attest to the shirts. They exist, but I cannot share them because they riff on assets from our next game.

lime013 Do you guys ever have parties at Bungie?

Nope. We work way too hard to party. If we were to stop what we were doing to celebrate, you might never get to play the game we are making.

XxShadowDonutxX What do you guys suggest to someone who wants to get into the video game design field?

The same thing I suggest every Monday. Fetch thyself a beverage and have a good, long read. For as long as I am gagged on the subject of our sweet new game, I am killing the time by doubling as a career counselor. I have to earn my keep with you fine people somehow, lest you kill me and eat me.

HOOBLA 911 How long do you expect these mailsacks will go on?

As long as I am the guy tasked with the privilege of maintaining your conduit to all things Bungie, we will open the Sack together, Hoobla. This ritual might become an aperitif instead of the main course, but that’ll be because we’ll have more red meat to serve up.

antony X1000 Have you ever had any strange encounters with fans? If so, how did you react?

I had one sweating bullets whilst I grilled him for the incriminating evidence on his person while his friend fled in terror.
Lorraine McLees

Why yes. During the development on Halo, my name appeared on our web site. Since we didn’t (and still don’t) have a main phone number, one fan decided to go with the first name he could find on our site and look me up in the yellow pages. He called my wife at home, who then gave him my work number. I then got a pitch for a product. It was a pull-down screen with a suction cup that you would adhere to your TV. You pulled it down when you wanted to prevent screen peeking, but it would only work if we split the screen vertically instead of horizontally. Well, so much for that plan. About 5 years later, we heard from him again. He had changed his name to something along the lines of “Clairvoyance Baba Ganoush” and sent us a 3 page manifesto about the end of all time. I’ve been called at home several times since then by fans asking for Recon. Once at 2AM. Since then, I have changed and unlisted my number.
David Candland

The first year at PAX I kept getting hugs. It was actually a nice surprise!
(NOTE: Huggability varies immensely from person to person.)
Austin Spafford

In Vegas, while poolside at a resort and soaking up some rays and football sized cocktails, I noticed a fan with a poorly botched Halo tattoo. He noticed me as well - more importantly the big Bungie beach towel I had. He lit up came bounding over, asking where I got it, which eventually led to him figuring out where I worked and inevitably asking for an autograph. As I was at a pool and not carrying any sharpies or anything, I could not come through on his request. Anxious by this, he got pretty desperate and asked me to "finger paint" my autograph on his arm with suntan lotion so he would get a tan line with my name on it. After a very long "uhhhhhhhhhmm...." of bewilderment from yours truly, I told him to go flag down a bartender and get a traditional writing utensil instead. He did as he was asked, got his autograph the traditional way, and I never went back to that pool for the rest of my stay.
Pat Jandro

Wow. Pat wins. I was really hoping for a good answer to this question after PAX, but everyone was super cool. No one freaked me out, or even smelled bad. I did manage to snap this pic at our lunch in the VIP Lounge in that sports bar, though. If you look closely, you can see everyone’s inner demon.

Its A Mirage What is your favorite lyric from a song?

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name
Alan Stuart

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Tuuuuuuuurks
Chris Owens

Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To You
Lorraine McLees

My soul must be iron
For my fear is naked
Lars Bakken

Can't blame the stone for being cold
Austin Spafford

Llamaboy291 You guys are understandably super-secretive about your work, to the point where you check all photos if someone gets the chance to go through your studio. But how do you keep the people who don't necessarily work for you company quiet, like cleaning staff (who inevitably see secret stuff)? Does Bungie have an in-house janitorial squad for assured secrecy, or a sworn-to-silence cleaning service?

To get a job on our cleaning staff, all you need to do is…

Wait a minute. My paranoia is kicking in. This sounds like the sort of grift you would see in a heist flick, like Oceans 11. I can see what you're up to very clearly, now. You get a job on the inside and play our game every night while we wonder why the floors get dirtier and dirtier.

What I was going to say is that we don’t have a cleaning staff. We burn our own trash in the woods like the Comanche.

This is a man of passion after my own heart. Songs about Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll don’t resonate with me these days. You get singing about good BBQ, though, and my eyes start to glisten.
David Candland

DE4THINC4RN4TE DeeJ, will you use this question as an excuse to market the Jobs page here on b.net?

ZippingFilly817 When the Bungie team is parted with its sarcasm, is there some sort of contingency plan that will go into effect?

You sound pretty confident that this is inevitable. In my world-view, the scenario you describe is impossible. It would be more appropriate to ask what sort of force could possibly part us with our beloved sarcasm. I would swear under oath that no such thing exists. And, if it does, how could we prepare for such a thing? Were the irresistible force to confront the immovable object, it would likely lay waste to everything you have ever loved. Better to wish for happier things.

Professor24 When times are tough, what do you do?

I get going.
David Candland

Must resist urge...
Scott Kankelborg

I remind myself that I’ve been in way worse situations, and I always manage to overcome it and end up in a better time/place. I do work at Bungie after all.
Zeke Garcia

When times are tough I work more, which results in higher self-esteem and less time to spend the money I don't have.
Alan Stuart

Take a deep breath, let it go slowly. Spending time with family is always the best thing to do when times are tough.
Lorraine McLees

Cry into my beer.
Jason Sussman

I hang out with my dogs. No matter how crappy your day has been, they always cheer me up.
Lars Bakken

I realize things could be a lot worse then get over it.
Pat Jandro

Go for a short walk (when I remember to, otherwise I just waste time getting frustrated).
Austin Spafford

Mostly I find myself spamming the grenade button.
Mike Forrest

pimpsta16 Can you have Marty create more Halo soundtracks? I love his work.

As much as I’m starting to feel a little more at home at Bungie, I don't think I'll ever be willing to boss Marty around. I’ll be happy to tell him that you love his work, but you’re going to have to follow us into our next game if you want to hear more. The trek will be worth it - Marty is getting by with a little help from his new friend.

GaRrbAGGE Truck What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known when you were starting out?

A programming language.
Scott Kankelborg

The more responsibility you get, the more time you spend in meetings and less time you spend creating things.
Pat Jandro

If you wanted to travel, do it sooner than later.
Lorraine McLees

Office politics can ruin a great job, and office politics are more common than I ever imagined.
Alan Stuart

Don’t Reply All to a company-wide email... especially if you plan on being sarcastic.
Chris Owens

Avatar Korra Can we get an art challenge this time, pretty please?

Solving a challenge can be an art form unto itself, especially when one of our Engineers helps me concoct the riddle. Remember David Johnson? Well, he was so surprised by the speed with which you solved his last puzzle, he went back to the drawing board. Time for a rematch. Let’s see if your guided missiles can intercept this in five minutes…

Breaking In - Chris Owens

This is a test...

Testing code is a cornerstone of the development culture at Bungie. The experiences we design ship when the Testers give us the green light. They support every aspect of the process that goes into creating the games you play. They show us the where the weaknesses lie, and point out the cracks. By the time you get your hands on one of our games, it’s been given a thorough beating by guys like this…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is Chris Owens and I am currently working on the Bungie.next project as a Software Test Engineer. It will completely change the way you play games, but that’s all I’m allowed to say. Well, except for <CENSORED>. Crazy, right?

That censorship joke never gets old. When you aren’t making me look like the news desk of a totalitarian regime, what pranks are you pulling in real life?

I’m a huge TV and Movie buff, and obviously I’m a lifelong gamer. I’ve always been fan of outdoor adventures. I love exploring new places and meeting new people. I also enjoy a little poker now then.

You’re in luck, then. We roll out the green felt tables about once a month at Bungie. Before we became your dealer, where else did you gamble?

Before coming to Bungie, I jumped around the industry A LOT. I began my career as an entry-level Tester at Activision in Santa Monica. From there, I worked at THQ, Vivendi Universal, Electronic Arts, and Screenlife Games. I value those experiences because no two companies approach software Quality Assurance in the same way, which really gave me a sense of what works and what doesn’t.

You certainly do get around. It sounds like you need to find a nice studio and settle down for a while. Since your vocabulary for games is so vast, what would you say is the most exciting thing that you worked on?

Quake 3 BY FAR. It was pretty early on in my career, but not only did I get to “test” this great game for 10 hours a day I actually got to fly down to id Software headquarters and work side-by-side with the likes of John Carmack and Graeme Devine.

Meeting one’s heroes is certainly a perk of working in this business, but we should also be wary of the villains. What is the most ethically challenging thing you worked on?

Any game that gets shipped without being signed off on by QA. There’s no excuse for that.

It’s good to know that, as a games developer, you’re a man of principal. Do those values come from your childhood? What did you want to be when you grew up?

A stand-up comic. That didn’t really work out because of the whole stage fright thing. I wanted to be a Doctor as well, but I also have school fright.

Did you overcome that fear to get an education that helped you plot course into the video game industry? Or did you find your own way?

I hopped around a lot of community colleges after high school. I was never sure exactly what I wanted to do, I just knew it had to involve gaming. I remember reading an article in some gaming mag about breaking into the industry through Quality Assurance as an entry level Tester. At the time, you had to live in either Seattle or Los Angeles to really have a shot of getting a job in the industry. I chose Los Angeles and spent a good 12 years there before moving up to Seattle.

How did you leverage those 12 years of experience to score an invitation to one of our interrogation rooms as a job applicant?

Well, besides the outright begging/pleading/bribing, I expressed my love for everything Bungie and tried to highlight my experience and dedication to quality. As a gamer, I have certain expectations when it comes to a games quality and Bungie has always been a shining example of those standards. You ship when the product is of a certain quality, and not a minute before.

We apply the same standards to our new hires. You should know, since you survived your interview loop. Can you remember the hardest part about your own test run?

The hardest part had to be the final day-long interview process. First off, I was very intimidated. This made me exceptionally nervous and towards the end of the process I was mentally exhausted. I’m still shocked they hired me, as I’m sure I was just rambling incoherently towards the end of the day. I remember going home thinking about how badly I blew the interview…

Not at all. It’s a part of the trial. If you don’t end up babbling like a fool, we just assume that you don’t care. Passion is a crucial ingredient for a member of our team. Now that you are on the roster, how does that passion manifest?

Knowing that the projects I work on will be appreciated by the rabid fan base. Being a fan myself, I like to think I know what is expected out of us as a company I strive to hit that mark….oh and the FREE BEER.

Don’t go misleading our readers to think that we get FREE BEER every day. We save that for special occasions. What is a typical day like? Is it a stand up and fight mission, or a bug hunt?

I usually get in around 8:30 and get jacked up on caffeine. Then, I scour the bug database to get up to speed on any new issues. After that, I check my email, write test cases, test the latest build, and regress and write up bugs.

So, it’s a bug hunt. What’s your favorite reward for seeking out those critters and making sure that we kill them dead?

Did I mention the FREE BEER?!

Yeah, you mentioned that. I’m trying real hard to diffuse the image of you stumbling around here like the town drunk every day. There has to be something else that motivates you.

Sorry, that was the first thing that came to mind. I also enjoy the bi-monthly poker game.

Spoken like a true saloon rat. Aside from raking in the chips from your coworkers, is there an accomplishment that fills you with more pride than any other?

I am proud of the fact at how quickly I’ve come up to speed on the project I’m now working on. That was not easy. I knew I belonged here that first week when I got to know my co-workers. It was like that feeling you get when you put on a comfortable pair of shoes.

While I would never deprive you of a pair of comfy shoes, we do need to extend beyond our comfort zones at Bungie. Can you learn the new skills that you need to become a more effective tester working here?

I am a SPONGE. I try to soak up as much knowledge as I can, whether that means reading the latest books on web security or picking a co-workers brain. I are hungry for knowledge. NOM!

Imagine a reader who is thinking right now that they want to be just like you. Do us both a favor, and provide them with some advice that has nothing to do with FREE BEER.

Work. Hard. It’s a competitive business, and you really have to shine to make it. Learn as much as you can and try to take advantage of all that experience. Use it and absorb as much information as possible. See what works and what doesn’t and apply that knowledge. Oh, and check your ego at the door. We are all on the same team here.

Your humility does you credit. Let’s explore some other virtues crucial to being a Tester in our last question: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

Work Ethic, Experience and Talent. You have to be dedicated, because the hours are loooong and the work can be tedious. Experience really helps to determine the process of what needs to be done and when to implement it. Talent is last because talent without work ethic or experience is a difficult beast to tame.

Thanks for sharing, Chris. Those bugs won’t crush themselves, so please do get back to what you do so well.

As Chris learned for himself, being a Tester is a great way to enter the video game industry. It’s not the only entrance, though. If you see yourself following a different plan of attack, all of the doorways are clearly marked in our Breaking In archive.

Mail Sack - PAX Edition

You kids get off our lawn...

PAX is in full swing. Players are anxious to get their hands on new games. Developers are anxious to reap their reactions. Journalists have questions for everyone. When you come to think of it, the whole affair sounds a lot like a day on Bungie.net, only with a lot more costumes.

To get us into character for a weekend filled with rubbing elbows with some of our favorite people in the world, we’ve thrown together a panel discussion all our own.

Please display your badges where enforcers can see them, and let’s open the Sack.

catman6 Why are we here?

That is the question. Isn’t it? The motivations that still drive the Bungie Community to B.net are likely as varied as the people themselves. Perhaps you’re waiting to discover our next game, and you refuse to surrender your front-row seat. Maybe you’ve just come to know this website like a comfy chair that has sagged to conform to the unique contours of your ass after all these years. Or, it could be that you’re curious about a future career in game development, and you hope to learn something from our team.

Whatever brought you to our virtual convention hall today, cop a squat. I have goodies prepared for you.

pfhor007 How many of your employees were fans of Marathon and Myth back in the day?

That day was long ago, but we still have some old friends on our team who began their relationship with Bungie as members of much older iterations of our community. It’s no secret that being a creative player of our games is a great way to become a creator of those games. These three gentlemen are proof of that…

David Candland
Although I was hired at Bungie in 2000, Halo was not the first time I contributed to shipping a Bungie product. Back in the early ‘90s, when I was a budding college student, I had entered a Marathon mapmaking contest called “Bungie for Life.” The winner of the best Marathon Mod was to receive every game Bungie made as long as they remained in business. I was a fan, and the draw of such an enticing prize compelled me to put aside my homework for a week and build The Greatest Marathon Mod In The World™.

Well, I quickly found that one week was not enough time for that, so I settled for a couple of Pretty Cool Single Player Levels With Custom Sprites™. Titled “Return to Tau Ceti,” my first level was essentially a stressful lava maze with health packs placed just before the kill distance (if you went the correct way). The second level was a boss battle in a Pfhor spectator arena against a Juggernaut-Cyborg hybrid. Well, I didn’t win the contest, but I did get my mod published in the Marathon box set bonus disk. It was an honorable consolation prize.

Since coming to Bungie, I’ve added little nods to Marathon in my work; the overshield colors, the little 15m by the motion tracker, naming the Postgame Carnage Report. At one point, I had named the easiest difficulty in Halo “Kindergarten” but that didn’t fly with Microsoft. Go figure.

Chris Butcher
When I enrolled at the University of Otago in New Zealand in 1995, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I had a degree in computer science already, but the programming that I’d done had mostly been pretty dry and boring stuff. So, I thought maybe I’d go into physics instead, just taking a few additional CS courses on the side for interest. Marathon changed all that.

We used Power Macs exclusively in the CS labs at that time, which were ideal for clandestine excursions into the carnage zone. It was a constant game of cat-and-mouse between us and the sysadmins, who would try to lock down the Macs, but we would always find ways to get around them. (Sorry Tracy and Brian!) Marathon was the lingua franca of our social group, and pretty soon after the release of Marathon 2 it escalated into a nightly religion. One of our favorite tricks was to browse around on the AppleTalk network and try to find other players who were waiting to be gathered by their group, and then hijack them into our group instead. We would also spend hours doing 2-vs-2 co-op speed runs of the M2 campaign. Let me take this opportunity to pimp the one map that I made, “Newton’s Folly”, which is an M2 homage to What Goes Up from Marathon 1. We also made a compilation of 50 of our favorite Marathon 2 netmaps, if you’re in the mood for some carnage.

Marathon convinced me that I wanted to do something in realtime computer graphics, so I gave up the idea of becoming a theoretical physicist and enrolled in graduate school for computer science instead. During my Masters and PhD programs I spent quite a lot of time playing Myth and Myth II, with the Blade of Thorns, Altus Praeses and Civil Order among other people. I also ran a number of tournaments, both FFA and team tournaments, the last of which was the Myth World Cup ’99 which involved over 1000 players and dozens of tournament officials. You can see the MWC99 website which is still up and running at http://www.macobserver.com/mwc99/ … and let me give a shout out to Grim, the continuing organizer of the Myth World Cup, now in its 14th year, at http://mwc2012.weebly.com/. I don’t play much on MariusNet anymore, but it is amazing to see how the community has sustained itself so many years later.

Tyson Green
I started out keeping tabs on Myth during development, maintaining a little news website in the early days. After Myth launched and the community was really starting to come into its own, I partnered up with Jaime on the larger Myth Codex website that was fairly involved in the community from that point on.

When it became possible, I tried my hand at modding and made a passable map or two, and helped admin b.net as a BNA. In mid ’98, I applied for a job on Myth II, and (to my amazement) was taken on as a production assistant. Among other things, I ended up writing the documentation we shipped with Myth II’s Fear & Loathing editors, which resulted in some proficiency with the engine and my creating a bunch of Myth II’s spell effects.

On account of work visas being somewhat more difficult to obtain than expected, I returned to Canada after Myth II went gold. Still, I kept active with the Bandlands map making group, helping with a few of their releases, and ultimately scripting about half of the Chimera mini-campaign pack.

CODA: For more Tyson’s illustrious career as a Bungie gamer, this interview is a great look back.

Gamer Whale Does anyone at Bungie play FreeSpace 2?

Oh, man… What a great game that was! Are you still playing that? I logged a lot of hours in the Perseus Interceptor simulator, but the PC that hosted that fight is long dead. Still, I have some really great memories of leading wings of fighters and bombers into battle against the Shivans.

You know who has even better memories from that game?

James Tsai
FreeSpace 2 was my first game in the industry. I started in test for the initial release (one of only two full time testers), and then was the QA manager for the subsequent game-of-the-year and localized editions. During those later releases, I also got to do some production work for the first time in my career, helping manage schedules and deliverables between Volition and Interplay. But the most rewarding part of all of it was getting to do mission design work with the fans. We put together a content pack where the players submitted missions and the community picked their favorite ones, which I’d then work on with the creators and get them revised, balanced, and polished.

It was a great project; the development team was small and tight knit, and lots of those guys are still my best friends in the world even though many of us are at different studios now. We’ve been to each other’s weddings, we meet up in Vegas now and then, and we fly across the country to visit each other often.

ChorrizoTapatio This question is for the artists over at Bungie: You guys draw some amazing things. How did you hone your skill to that level? Teach me your ways.

For this question, and the next, I went directly to the concept artists who are imagining everything you’ll see in our next game. Several of them were kind enough to sketch some of their unique brand of wisdom on a cocktail napkin.

Ryan DeMita
Practice, practice, practice. Grab a cheap sketchbook and pencil and start grinding away! Draw everything and anything. I started off drawing the 7up dot and Bart Simpson over and over. Eventually, I went to design school and drew everything from the apple on my desk to giant walking mechs. Onward!

Frank Capezzuto“A teacher must never impose this student to fit his favorite pattern; a good teacher functions as a pointer, exposing his student's vulnerability (and) causing him to explore both internally and finally integrating himself with his being. Martial art should not be passed out indiscriminately…” – Bruce Lee

A way is learned by the student. But to break it down in its simplest form: What subject inspires you? Once you discover this, draw every day, make plenty of mistakes, seek feedback and direction from the art community and professionals alike.

Many great artists are self-taught, but many more go through some form of an education system. If you can get in, I think Art Center is the best. Other excellent education systems are Gnomon or Feng Zhu Design School or Art Institutes International (where I graduated from). If you want to go self-taught route, I recommend Gnomon DVD’s to get some professional insight and tutorials. In my experience, learning how to draw is a lifelong process – no 20 minute ‘session’ with a professional artist is going to transform your ability.

Feng Zhu Design is a constant internal and external process – but I recommend going through some kind of an education system that involves years of study that I listed – covering all aspects of art including set design, human and animal anatomy and vehicle design. Education from an institute of higher learning is the fastest, and even then it takes years. The most important thing is to do your craft every day – so it’s part of who you are.

Zafric When it comes to applying for jobs at Bungie, do you have any tips or suggestions regarding how to present your portfolio and/or resume?

Ryan DeMita
The simpler the better! You want to make sure you work is well presented and easily viewable. I’ve always preferred the blog format. It’s a simple and inexpensive way to present work as well as making you searchable on the web. I would avoid flash portfolio sites, cd portfolios, mail away portfolios or anything that requires more than clicking a button. HTML is always a safe bet. I would keep the resumes short and sweet and in Word, PDF, or HTLM page format. Best of Luck!

Joseph Cross
My best advice for portfolios and resumes if you’re feeling lost, is to find examples of artists you admire and are in the position you want to be in and do what they do, make you website like theirs, organize your portfolio like theirs, and find a professional resume and format it the same way. Look at professional artists you admire as instruction manuals for success.

Frank Capezzuto
A website, along with a DVD or CD, is the best for submission. On an interview, simply printouts or even a slideshow on a laptop or iPad will work. Don’t do fancy flash intros or anything like that for a webpage, since reviewers of portfolios have hundreds of submissions to go through. Loading times or clunky interfaces might make a reviewer pass over to the next submission. You never want to make anyone work to figure out a complex interface to see your work. A simple gallery page is the best if you’re applying for 3D or Concept. Obviously for animation, a YouTube page of demos is free and effective.

Some good examples are BlogSpot pages, like Feng Zhu’s BlogSpot – a simple gallery of images with a thumbnail browser. YouTube can also be embedded into blogspot for animation applicants. BlogSpot is awesome because it’s 100% free, fast and has plenty of storage for art sites. Also, no need to pay for a registered address, they provide you with one for free.

Most importantly, when applying to any game or production company (Bungie), don’t apply there because you want a paycheck or a job. Apply because you are inspired by the company’s mission and you’re passionate about their games. It will show in every aspect of the application process.

GrinnialVex So, I'm going to be in town this weekend for the first time ever for PAX and all, and I want to know what the area has to offer for a food fanatic from Chicago (where we have TONS of good stuff to eat). Since you guys are all living there, what sort of places can you recommend I check out for some really awesome meals?

Pat Jandro
Nick's Grill in Kirkland. Get the burrito.

Alan Stuart
Salmon and chowder at Ivar's on pier 54 (the original location).
Steak at The Metropolitan Grill.
Italian at Bucca di Beppo.
Burgers at Red Mill.
Pub fare and micro-brew at The Pike in Pike Place Market.

Lorraine McLees
Steak? Got to the Brazilian Steak House in Bellevue or John Howie Steakhouse. Pizza? Go to Kylie's in Fremont. Ice Cream? BlueBird ice cream in Fremont. For that matter, just head over to Fremont, see the Troll, and walk around eating food until you pass out near the Center of the Universe.

Lars Bakken
If you don't mind walking up the hill from the Convention Center, I highly recommend Skillet. http://www.skilletstreetfood.com/. They started out as a food truck, but they have a physical restaurant at 14th & Union. I'm salivating just thinking about it. If you go, definitely get the poutine. My lord it's good.

Austin Spafford
My favorite place to eat when attending PAX is Cyber-Dogs, but it's more for the unique atmosphere, perfect distance, and vegetarian menu (which while not essential, is almost always a treat for me).

dmg04 How many hugs can I give you at PAX?

You have to find me first. If successful in your quest, I prefer fist-bumps.

emopinatapwns I never have any good questions to ask...

Not to worry. You neighbors in the Bungie Community have you covered. Mail Sacking is just as enjoyable as a spectator sport.

In fact, I have questions in reserve. The customary question/answer drill resulted in an embarrassment of riches this week. There was enough delicious community interaction to fill two mail trucks, so I hid one of them in the nearby forest. When it is Friday again, I will share Part Two of the conversation that took place between us and you.

Breaking In - Brandi House

Join us in the lab...

Have you signed up for the Bungie Beta? If you haven’t, our User Research team needs you. We know it can be intimidating to donate your body and your mind to Science, but we promise that our series of tests and interrogations won’t hurt a bit. To put a human face on the machinations of our lab, allow me to introduce you to one of the kindest people to ever don a lab coat.

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is Brandi House. I am a User Researcher. This means I do everything in my (significant) power to understand the player-experience goals of our designers and artists, and then translate that into studies that measure how well they are meeting those goals. I bring real people like you into our Laboratorium to play our games, and I watch, and I laugh, and I analyze your delicious precious brains. And! I go back to tell our designers how so many of you delightfully missed most of the cues they thought were so brilliant.

In short, I dissect your brains and kill the souls of designers. Awesome.

That is awesome. We need people to help us know the hearts and minds of the gamer. But, when the day is done, and there are no more gamers to scrutinize, what do you spend your time studying?

Beagles! And, subsequently, hiking and walking – those buggers have more energy than a room full of 5-year-olds. Also, games of course – these days I’ve been stuck on mobile/iPad since I don’t get much couch time. Dead Space on iPad is gorgeous, and the translation of the Catan board game is also pretty sweet.

For as much time as you spend poking and prodding the gamers who submit to our tests, I suppose it’s only fair that you are one as well. Have you always worked on games?

I was a contract User Researcher in the Microsoft IT department. The upside – I got some good experience running usability studies. The downside – I learned that I have no patience for wall-to-wall meetings.

We should schedule some time in a conference room to discuss that. For now, I’m curious if you have always harbored a desire to dissect brains. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Anything but an engineer. My dad’s an engineer, and it sounded sooo boring. Turns out, I should have listened to my 8-year-old self sooner – preferably before I was half way through a PhD in the darn field.

Did you finish that PhD? If I looked at your transcript, what series of accolades would I find?

I have a Bachelor’s in Engineering Science and Music, a Master’s in Electrical Engineering, and I got half way through a PhD in systems biology before I jumped ship to start a career in user research. I took a couple of graduate-level courses in UX Research that were a great start for my current career, and I still use some of the math and statistics from my other degrees.

In truth, a lot of what I learned in my bumpy road is that I need to work with people, and engineering is too lonely for me.

One thing that we have a lot of at Bungie is people. Would you remember for us how you began the process of becoming one of them?

WoW.

What?

No really…

I was a guild officer for a Microsoft friends-and-family guild, so I lead raids and hosted picnics and board-game nights for locals. I was enthralled by being in a group of people who, on average, were even more awkward than me!

So… I met an engineer at Bungie at a picnic, and she learned that I was on the hunt for a more permanent job in User Research. She gave me a referral. Win #1! I got to a phone interview and learned that John Hopson (known to me only by his game name at that time) was on the other line. He was my first ever raid leader, and I was terrible. My fears were unwarranted – he kindly chose not to mention the number of times I accidentally blink-pulled the boss. Win #2!

What the hardest part of the boss fight that is the Bungie Interview loop?

Endurance. My brain turned into mothballs by about the 6th grilling.

Now that you are a valued member of our “guild,” what’s your favorite thing about aiding our own quest for world domination?

The designer facepalm. It’s great getting a designer in the room to watch people play their part of the game, only to discover that all their fears really can come true.

For the players that live outside of our realm, describe a day in the life of the Bungie village.

Dark man cave, an unearthly glow from the men’s room, occasional climbing of the walls. You know, the usual stuff. Oh and relatively few pointless meetings. Woo hoo!

Aside from the minimal time we spend in our conference rooms, what is your favorite reward that comes from the life of science that we provide?

Newbie lunches. We get to take new-hires out to lunch and get ours covered by the company too. I love meeting people, so this one is a double win for me.

Can you recount your favorite win? What’s that one accomplishment that has given you more pride than any other?

DeeJ thinks I’m awesome.

Sarcasm! You clearly have one of the most important skills to go the distance at Bungie. Of course, having skills is just as important as improving on them. How can a User Researcher learn and grow in this dark man cave?

Finding challenging problems around the studio and learning to apply UR in unique and exciting ways. I’m learning to crush the souls of engineers and artists in addition to designers!

There just might be some would-be scientists lurking out there who would love to crush souls for a living. What would you say to help them join you in the lab?

If you have passion for User Research, go give it a try. Every tech company on the planet needs usability professionals. Take a couple of classes and/or work as a contract UR. If the passion lasts and your talents have been proven, you’ll be ready to tackle the game-specific domain of user research.

There are some eager souls in our midst that need crushing. I can feel their anger. We’ll need to bring this to a close with one final question: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

1. Passion – love the crap out of studying people, digging through piles of data, and inflicting pain for the good of the whole (work ethic is lame… everyone works hardest when they’re passionate about their job)
2. Talent – UR may sound fluffy, but working with people AND data means you need to have some capacity in both parts of your mind.
3. Experience – Also important, but in truth, anyone who meets the top 2 criteria can learn some of the necessary techniques while on-the-job.

And with that, we return Brandi to craft new and exciting mazes for us rats to run. She practices a very unique (and crucial) discipline that allows Bungie to make games. If the study of the mind is not your chosen quest, there are many ways to raid our world. You can learn more about all of them in the Breaking In archive.

Gotta Mail Sack on Friday

It's not news, but it'll keep you warm...

Friday is home to some cherished traditions at Bungie. The day begins with a spread of bagels vast enough to clear the shelves of a small deli. On some occasions, like this very Friday, we look forward to concluding our week with a Team Meeting. It’s always a lovely gathering. With a handful of snacks in one hand and beverage in the other, we converge on our grand ballroom to feast on presentations about our work in progress.

And, further to the point of Friday traditions, these guys enjoy the Mail Sack as much as you do.

antony X1000 What is the most impressive thing you have seen the community do?

I think it’s a true testament to the boundless creativity of our fanbase that you ascended to the level of developers in your own right with fan-forged maps that were included in playlists for matchmaking. You took the tools you were given you and created battlegrounds that shaped a multiplayer experience that was enjoyed by all.

Our panel also has some favorite moments for which you can take credit.

I’m always blown away by the amount this community contributes to charity, particularly in response to the disasters which struck Haiti and Japan. You people rock.Ben Wommack

For those of you who might not remember (or weren't paying attention when it happened), Noah is referring to the time that one of you claimed our dog tags (thus claiming a prize) on a dare during a Ride Along in Battlefield 3. Was this the greatest moment in Bungie Community history? Maybe not, but it made us smile. And, we're always in awe of the skill that you players bring to any game.

Kalriq If you had a Flux Capacitor, where would you go?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Flux Capacitors are intended to propel us to a specific when, rather than a specific where. Settling for a journey to a specific place seems like a waste of rare (and completely imaginary) technology.

TheSpiderChief What is your fondest memory when it came to making the Halo games?

I didn’t make any Halo games, aside from the ridiculous Warthog-intensive customs I forced upon my clan, so I’m turning this question over to the authorities.

Getting Halo and Halo 2 working on the Xbox 360 was hard because the hardware architecture changed significantly, yet it was very rewarding when they finally worked.
Alan Stuart

I believe I was the first internal tester to find Jason Jones in Halo 3 au naturel. I was doing saved film flying cam sweeps and found this weird, oscillating black card in a back corner. None of the other testers knew what it was, so with everyone crowded around I started up the level and made my way over to it. Staring straight at it, still no idea. Flipped on my flashlight…oh my. Many lulz were had that day in Test Land.
Ben Wommack

FALSE R3ALITYx How does Bungie feel about the occasional member meet-ups?

We think they’re fine, as long as they don’t involve wrongful imprisonment or ransom notes. Remember, kids, not everyone on the Internet who invites you to a hotel wants to play System Link in a conference room.

MiloOmega Can you give us some suggestions on what to do to pass the time?

As a former boss once told me, “If there is time to lean, there is time to clean.”
Alan Stuart

Dig through the ooooold B-net forums and read posts made by people predicting/reacting to Halo 2 and 3. Come back here and tell us what you find.
Ben Wommack

Make a video game. It takes a while!
Ryan Klaverweide

Visit a local hackerspace to see if you get inspired by any of the projects people are working on. While it may be intimidating to approach people with cool projects, just keep in mind that nearly everyone loves talking about the things they do for the sake of doing it!
Austin Spafford

Create something (new, if possible).
Andrew Davis

I’m sure DeeJ will edit this, but while working on marketing and web stuff for **********, I enjoy playing ********. It’s got that ********.
John Stvan

Those asterisks are all John, people. If there is a troll in the room, it’s him.

MightyMarcher01 If you could put anything you own into a time capsule, what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to prank a time capsule by including another time capsule that says, “Do not open for another 100 years.”
Alan Stuart

Hydrochloric acid.
Noah George

Twinkies, obviously, so that future generations may survive.
Ben Wommack

Something physical I designed. Most likely a t-shirt.
Ryan Klaverweide

Two rocks and some tinder.
Austin Spafford

Facebook.
John Stvan

Dude, how would you put a website in a time capsule? It’s a good thing you can make art.

IRISH 249 What game or games influenced you to want to pursue a career in video game development?
What caused your a-ha moment where you said, "I want to create something like this"?

The moment I saw “Prince of Persia” in 1990, I knew I was going to work on a game someday. By the way, the original source code for PoP is now available along with a great story of how it was recovered.
Alan Stuart

Chrono Trigger on the SNES inspired me to work in games - it was just so cool. How could I not want make game development my life? Any other alternative was unthinkable.
Ben Wommack

Dragon Realms MUD, circa 1997.
John Hopson

Street Fighter 2 and Shadow of the Colossus.
Ryan Klaverweide

Halo: CE.
John Stvan

I worked with a fellow student on a crazy text-based multiplayer game called Bomberman clone. It was so fun and socially viral that it was banned from the computer labs.
Austin Spafford

Duke Nukem 3D and its Build level editor.
Andrew Davis

Playing Space Warp on the TRS-80. Yes, that means I’m nearly as old as Marty.
Tom Sanocki

Sven Nietzsche Will Zebras serve any important roles in the upcoming game?

Our lawyers tell us that we're not allowed to use fan ideas in our games. Thanks to your treachery, Sven, now no one will know the thrills of piloting the Zebra Battle Wagon. It's probably for the best. Not only was it a real memory hog, but all those stripes were inducing seizures in way too many testers.

pureXownage Will Bungie have anything to show off at PAX?

I just got some new socks that I’m gonna wear. Ask me nicely, and I’ll hike up my pant leg (I’ll let you choose which one) and have a look.

There will be a number of Bungie people at PAX. It is, after all, in our own back yard. We’ll be there as fans, just like you.

Kivell What were your first jobs?

For an entire summer in high school, that mysterious face in the small window at the back of the movie theatre was mine. I could thread a movie projector in 30 seconds flat. Because it was the longest film running that summer, I had to monitor the ending to Terminator 2 hundreds of times. Corner me at PAX, and I’ll act out the final scene for you.

"I know nauhw why you crahy, but it is somezing I can nevah do..."

How about you, Panel?

I fried chicken at a restaurant named “Po’ Folks” in a city named Niceville. Our motto was “We might be po’, but we are nice.” I still have a copy of my first paycheck as a memento.
Alan Stuart

In order: scanning documents in an office, college tour guide, college facilities recycler, Test contracting at Bungie.
Ben Wommack

My first job was a barback/bus boy… at 15.
John Stvan

Tomato fertilizer. I worked in a hydroponic farm, tickling tomato flowers with an electric toothbrush to spread pollen.
John Hopson

Tester at Nintendo of America (summer job while plowing through a computer-science degree).
Austin Spafford

Ockeghem When we see another person in real life wearing Bungie swag, what should our response be?

If I were you, I would charge that person and beat them down, all the while screaming “There can be only one!”

(In truth, please do not actually do this. You’d be better off approaching them slowly and introducing yourself.)

ChorrizoTapatio Would you say trying to getting a job at Bungie is like trying to play football in the NFL? Difficulty wise I mean.

I would say it’s a lot harder to get a job with us. The NFL has a lot of teams that need people, and you can try to join them all. Bungie is just one company, and we need people who know how to do things that are more complicated than colliding with other dudes at full speed.

This is not to say that it’s impossible to work for Bungie. Right this very minute, we are looking for some first-round draft picks on our Careers page.

MASTERMIND416 What is one of the most rewarding experiences you've ever felt as a game designer/programmer, etc.?

When I was in college a friend and I wrote a shareware game. It took us about 6 months of hard work, but at the end I was so proud that the two of had done everything ourselves (level editor, audio, graphics, cut scenes, engine). Someday I plan on converting it to a mobile app, so I can’t share the game design with you at this time.
Alan Stuart

Everything we did to celebrate Bungie's 20th Anniversary.
John Stvan

Creating a testing command to hunt down and kill every creature on a map, and for semi-legitimate reasons (nausea due to rapid teleportation), dressing it up to mimic Akuma's Raging Demon (complete with flashing a gigantic omega and emoting the character once the screen stopped blacking out).
Austin Spafford

Seeing the fans at PAX and launch events. The excitement I see, and knowing millions of people will get to see my work make all the long hours worth it.
Andrew Davis

CrazzySnipe55 Is there any clique-y-ness that occurs at Bungie?

Well, sure. We have hundreds of people working on this next game. The social theories that inform our design process tell us that any group larger than five to nine people starts to fracture into cliques of about three people. So, yeah, we got cliques. Some of them even have matching jackets and switchblades. Others just have decks of magical cards and multi-sided dice.

catman6 If you were going to die tomorrow, what would your last meal be?

What's with the recurring theme of morbidity? Last week, one of you asked us what we would put in a bomb shelter. The world won't come to an end before we reveal our next game, people. I promise. That said, this question does make for good Panel chatter.

What'll you have everyone? Apparently, the end is nigh again.

Ryan Klaverweide

A BBQ pork sandwich from Sonny’s BBQ. An ice-cold IPA for a drink. Cheesecake Factory and coffee for desert.
Alan Stuart

Eggs Benedict.
Noah George

I’d buy out the French Bakery, take it all to the Melting Pot, and dip everything in melted cheese and chocolate. Why die ambiguously tomorrow when you can die via chocolate covered pastry today?
Ben Wommack

Baconator.
John Stvan

Probably the usual food, because I doubt I'd see the end coming.
Austin Spafford

Two bites of every meal ever.
Andrew Davis

Ice cream. LOTS of ice cream.
Tom Sanocki

DesertStormer27 Has anyone ever fallen off the rock wall?

Despite your lofty opinions of us, we have yet to conquer gravity. Plus, the best part about climbing the wall is crashing down into the foam pit that awaits below. I have seen grown men release their grip and treat it like a bounce house.

spartan120 Who is your favorite Bungie-created video game character?

Cortana
Noah George

Durandal of the Marathon series. In my youth, I even wrote a little fan-fiction centered around that rapscallion AI. Don’t tell anyone though.
Ben Wommack

Ask me again in a few years.
Ryan Klaverweide

Noble Six, because it’s me!
Andrew Davis

I can’t tell you yet. SoonTM
John Stvan

Austin Spafford

Kr1egerdude What makes you want to get up everyday for work?

Usually my alarm.
Andrew Davis

My landlord.
Noah George

The siren lure of the coffee robot in the kitchen. Its range is pretty wide.
Ben Wommack

The chance to do the best version of my profession that’s ever been done.
John Hopson

Money How awesome this is!
Ryan Klaverweide

Baconator.
John Stvan

In theory, knowing that I'll be able to help a mind-blowing number of people feel net-positive emotions! But when processed by a just-booted brain, it's sadly just the alarm.
Austin Spafford

Googlz Question to get Jason Jones out of his office: Why do you hate us?

First of all, Jason Jones doesn’t have an office. He moves among us like a General on the battlefield. Second of all, why on Earth (and beyond) would you ever think that he hates you? Jason Jones gave us a Halo, as well as a rich back-catalogue of exciting Bungie games. If that’s hate, my friend, I don’t want to be loved. Ever.

Jujubes Do you guys think there's any merit to blogging and if so, what blogs would you recommend we check out?

I lifted this quote from a movie I saw last week: “Blogging is not journalism. Blogging is graffiti with punctuation.”

I don’t agree with that sentiment – I just thought it was funny. For years, I poured my little gamer heart out on a blog about the Halo Clan scene. That put me on the path to talking to you fine people, so I would have to admit that there is merit to publishing yourself in the Internet.

If you want to read a blog, our esteemed panelists recommend the following…

MasterSin If you had the chance to turn a movie into a game, which movie would it be?

Ryan Klaverweide

Scott Taylor

Noah George

Ben Wommack

Dave Matthews

In his infinite wisdom and creativity, Mr. Matthews went as far as to scope some specs for a third-person action brawler that put the player in the oversized shoes of a clown who beats up mimes. After the designation of booze as a healing mechanism, things went downhill rather quickly. The rest of his vision included some GTA homages that I cannot mention on this family friendly website.

randomrosso Why does it seem like I'm the only one who doesn't give a crap about these mail sacks? I want news.

Well, of course you want news! All of the other boys and girls who are being good sports about this weekly stalling tactic want news. And I want more than anything to give you some sweet, face melting news. Now just ain’t the time, yo. There will come a day when I signal the coming of something important – and you will be the first to know – but it is not this day. Until then, try not to spoil the mood for the rest of us.

The only news I can provide you with is that the Mail Sack will return next week. For now, our team meeting beckons. If you will excuse me, I need to claim my beverage before the fridge is cleared out.

Bungie Foundation Update

People make all the difference...

One week out of every year, a place in the majestic Pacific Northwest known as Sunset Lake becomes the Stanley Stamm Camp. On that occasion, the guests are children who are too busy battling illnesses to enjoy the great outdoors. The setting is uniquely equipped to accommodate these special guests. As Christine Edwards tells the story: “They take them out of the hospital setting and help them forget about their challenges. Their illnesses would prevent them from going to any other camp.”

“I love this type of work,” says Christine, describing her role as a Bungie Foundation Coordinator. She never imagined herself working for a company that makes video games, but Bungie is a place where she can explore her passions for helping others. When she isn’t keeping our marketing team as sane as possible, her job gives her a chance to make a difference in children’s lives.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense to go through life not loving or supporting the people around you. It’s a natural reaction for me to help someone in need,” she explains. “One of the things that have made me successful at Bungie is my desire to ask people questions about how I can help solve their problems.”

Making video games relies on human talents, so it makes sense that our people would be our most valuable resource. As much as you have heard from our designers, artists, or engineers, there are other people who operate behind the scenes of some of your favorite games. Their efforts make Bungie a great place to work, and impacts the world outside our studio.

Our charitable mission is to ease the suffering of seriously ill children through entertainment. Those goals usually find people like Christine at Seattle Children’s Hospital. There, she and other foundation staffers have been working on a new program to put iPads loaded with games into the hands of sick kids. Recently, we even went as far as to launch a nautical vessel – our first entry into the Bungie Navy.

During our work on the iPads for Kids program, it came to our attention that a guild at Seattle Children’s Hospital shares our mission for entertaining kids who suffer from serious ailments. To a gamer, the word “guild” conjures images of raiders from World of Warcraft. At Seattle Children’s Hospital, guilds are crucial to their culture – they’re altruistic committees of people who volunteer their time to special projects that enhance the lives of their patients.

“We’ve been working with Stanley Stamm for about a year and a half now,” Christine recalls.

Our partnership with Dr. Stamm and his guild began with simpler contributions. At first, Bungie did the obvious things that companies tend to do for charity. We hosted a party. We sold some art. We raised some money. This inspired a more personal touch.

“After that, we told them that we really enjoy doing things that are more hands on.”

Those hands belong to Steve Burnaroos, our Facilities Manager at Bungie. When we learned that life at the Stanley Stamm Camp would be better with a boat that could be enjoyed by the handicapped, we gave him the challenge to build us a solution. Steve loves a challenge, and we have yet to stump him.

“There is no job title that could describe everything I do here,” Steve boasts.

He’s right. Our resident MacGyver can build us anything from a completely random set of supplies. A tour of our studio reveals all of his personal touches, from the LED accented pull-up bar to the full-immersion racing simulator. Whether he’s fabricating equipment racks for IT, changing light bulbs fifty feet in the air atop a hydraulic lift, or building a series of bike-racks overnight, there is no request too weird for him.

“The weirdest thing I’ve ever done was to build a boat from scratch.”

His mission was to launch a boat that could be accessed by wheelchair. To begin, he worked with Avalon, the boat manufacturer, to fabricate a boat to our specifications. Doors needed to be wide enough. Seats needed to be removable for a modular deck.

“Then I customized it and made it more awesome.”

By the time he was done, our flagship emerged with custom graphics, an onboard stereo system with sub-woofers big enough to send ripples across the surface of any lake, and a live-well bathroom. A fish-finder takes the guess-work out of where to cast your reel, and we would come to find that the dual hoses would come in handy in a water fight. It’s even got underwater lights.

You may ask yourself, as I asked Steve, why a boat needs underwater lights... “We don’t need any of this stuff,” he laughs. “It’s just there to make it unique and super-cool for the kids.”

With the boat ready to launch, it was time to make the 100 mile trek to the campgrounds. It was a trip that Steve made every day last week. Every mile was worth it.

“When I first pulled in, there were kids all over the place, cheering and screaming,” he remembered.

According to Steve, the camp counselors were also happy. “The thing is a mother ship. It’s eight feet longer than the end of their dock.”

To hear the stories, the week at Stanley Stamm was filled with boating and fishing to delight the campers. At the last campfire, the staff put on a show for the kids. Players costumed as giant birds embodied the winged theme of the campout. They chased each other around the grounds, taking to the water for the dramatic conclusion.

Our boat served as the set piece for the big finish. As the heroes of their little piece of theatre escaped on our boat, their pursuers following in kayaks. A dramatic water fight served as the thrilling climax, driving every pair of young hands to applause.

As the week came to an end, the campers were asked about their favorite part of the campout. For Steve and Christine, it was with enormous pride to hear them say “The Bungie Boat!” over and over again. “It definitely touched a lot of kids there,” Steve observed.

“We knew that it would be a fun thing, but I underestimated how important it was for them,” echoed Christine. “It was amazing to the smiles on their faces. It was also great to see their parents and volunteers be proud of them for braving the water and catching some fish.”

Breaking In - Veara Suon

Animating the baddies...

When we talk to our community about why they love games, they often spice that conversation with a question like “Who is your favorite video game villain?” The fact that a target in a game can evoke such an emotional response is the product of many design disciplines. One of them is Animation. Bringing those antagonists to life and capturing the imaginations of the players who make them dead is the job of (among others) this guy…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is Veara Suon and I’m a gameplay animator at Bungie. I pretty much create animations for those baddies you all love to fight, as well as for the player who is fighting them.

That’s an important gig – certainly essential to our experience. What’s your most important consideration when you’re animating heroes and villains?

Response is key. We try not to hold the player back when it’s not necessary. It’s important to us that we communicate to the player exactly what is going on visually without taking them out of it. At the same time, we want it to feel as good as it looks.

It sounds like you’re a man who values “immersion,” and gamers like me thank you for it. What do you immerse yourself in when you are not delivering action to gamers through the visual arts?

Sports are my life outside of this industry. It’s a nice change of scenery not sitting in front of the computer all day.

Do you play sports? Watch them? Bet on them? Imagine running a dream team in them?

I grew playing football and basketball so it’s something I’ve always became attached to. And of course watching it is just as fun, especially when having certain players on your fantasy team.

What were you doing before your career led you here? How did those experiences prepare you for this job?

I used to work in the world of Rapture (Bioshock) and a world taken over by aliens (Xcom). I was even in a world as a firefighter (Real Heroes). Now I’m in a whole new world again.

Did you used to dream about creating worlds like those when you were younger? What did you want to be when you grew up?

An NBA or NFL player as a kid, but then a 3d animation movie (Monsters, Inc.) came out. It struck a chord in me and I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I was in middle school: an animator.

Middle School leads to High School, and High School usually leads to an institution of higher learning on a more focused path. Where did you learn to become an animator?

I went to an art school that pretty much taught me the basics and some programs. I figured that wasn’t enough so I tried out an online animation school that gave me a better insight that focused more on animation. They harped on the 12 basic animation principles and it is still engrained into my mind.

It’s nice to know that you are a man of principle. How did you bring those virtues to our attention?

I was fortunate enough to have known the Animation Lead here. As a student, I used to contact inspiring animators asking for advice on what to expect from the industry as well as advice on my current skillset if they had time to check out my reel. Sometime later, I found that one of the animators became the lead animator here at Bungie. Around the time I was shopping around for other opportunities, I shot him an email to see what he thought of my reel to see if I had a shot to work alongside one of my inspirations.

That’s a question that can only be answered in a Bungie Interview loop! Can you prepare future challengers for that experience?

I was surprised that there were actual test questions. All of my previous interviews were more about getting to know me, because once you get to the interview you’re usually pretty much in. The only way you cannot get the job is if you’re not a fit with the team - it’s all about your personality at that point. But nope, not at Bungie. I got caught off-guard answering questions to see if I knew my stuff or not.

We do want people who know their stuff. I guess we are funny like that. Now that we know that you know yours, what would you say is the best part of the experience of working here?

We all strive to make the best possible game we can that people will enjoy. The mindset here is all about being the best, so when I do my task I try my best.

Now you know why we scrutinized you carefully in that interview. Fortunately, not every day at Bungie is an inquisition. For instance, what is your favorite thing that we do to keep you in the right frame of mind to do your best work?

Everything! Honestly they just take real good care of you. I can’t choose just one. Swag is always a plus.

Aside from wearing fashionably rare t-shirts, what might you expect from a day in the life of a Bungie animator?

I come to work, eat my breakfast. Get the latest update of our game. Check out the news a bit to see what’s going on outside in the real world. Check out the task I have to do for the day or the week. Ask questions to those who can answer them so I make it crystal clear I know what I am doing. After that, setup a plan on how I will achieve this task and then execute it. Test it out in game. Start all over again.

What is your favorite accomplishment as a member of the Bungie team? Describe that one moment in which someone appreciated your work, and assured you that you belonged here…

I think it’s more of a team accomplishment as we all put an effort into making these characters come alive. I am fortunate enough to be able to touch almost all of the characters and be involved in developing them for players to enjoy.

Those players can be pretty demanding. Their praise is never guaranteed. Do you think you can stay on the bleeding edge of your craft so that we can keep surprising them?

Studying animation is pretty much studying life. Anything and everything can benefit you in this art form. Observing those around you as long as you don’t get caught, experiencing moments in life will also give you more tools to work with. There are plenty of books or even blogs that have a wealth of information. The animation community is huge and helpful.

You are a leader of that community now, and you have a chance to pay forward some of the help that you got from the people who inspired you. What would you say to a student of animation if they asked you for advice?

This industry is not all fun and games. You must have a passion for it if you want to survive because when things get tough it’s that passion that keeps you in for the long run.

Thanks for sharing, Veara. You have some baddies to bring to life, so we’ll conclude this kinder, gentler interview with one final question: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

Talent, experience, then work ethic.

Like we said, Animation is just one of the design disciplines that provoke you to fall in love with the villains you fight. If you dream of being an Animator, Veara has left some good footsteps to follow. If you think your skills lie elsewhere, but you would like to work with him, check out our Breaking In archive to learn about the variety of coworkers who complete him.

Mail Sack for the Natives

No rest for the wicked...

At least once a week, a particular Bungie Producer likes to stop by the Community desk and ask the same question: “How are the natives, DeeJ?”

It’s one of those rhetorical questions, like when someone asks if it’s “hot enough for ya” when the temperature reaches heights that make asphalt soft. I tell him the same thing every time: "The natives are restless." Fortunately, he’s not the only one who cares about the mental health of the fine people who faithfully control territory here on Bungie.net.

Doing great! I just got a lot of work done today, so I don't have much to complain about. David Johnson

I feel fantastic / and I never felt as good as how I do right now / except maybe when I think of how I felt that day / when I felt the way that I do right now / right now / right nowAlex Loret de Mola

Really well, thanks! Every day is an adventure!Michael Williams

Excellent. Tomorrow I am going home to Australia for a short holiday.Luke Ledwich

Not too bad, though knowing there is amazing weather outside is making me terribly anxious.Cameron Pinard

Still Standin', Still Strong.Zeke Garcia

Great! Just took a train up to Vancouver last weekend and gorged myself on amazing eats.Tom Slattery

Enough with the pleasantries, already. Can anyone throw the panel a tough question?

KilteDKilleR93 What's the best way to get into writing code if you have zero experience?

Now that’s more like it. Allow me to make a suggestion: If you add a one to that zero, you'll have taken your first step into a larger world. I know, I know, I’m not helping. Pardon me while I yield the floor to my smarter friends…

I pretty much followed the Java Tutorial to teach myself Java (since that's the language I needed to know first). It was pretty good (and also free). These days, I'd still recommend learning C# over Java, but I don't know if there's an equivalently good C# tutorial out there. Besides, the languages are so very similar that your knowledge in one will drastically help your knowledge in the other. David Johnson

Try doing some of the incentivized tutorials hanging around on the net! For instance, 4clojure is a totally fun way to learn functional programming in a "casually competitive" environment.Alex Loret de Mola

I tend to do the same thing with each new language I learn. Find the most simple tutorial/example of code that is visual and remotely interesting to you (I always liked Triangle render tutorials). Run it and see that it is possible and then play with what is already coded to see how it works.
Luke Ledwich

Just do it. I'm old school so I’ll tell you to learn C, learn data structures, write quick sorts and bubble sorts, learn about hash tables. After you've got that foundation, jump right into C#.
Cameron Pinard

Khan Academy just launched a whole new computer science series. Don't worry too much about which language to learn or what you're doing with it - just jump in and start trying to figure things out. What you do in one language will translate pretty easily to others as you become comfortable with the concepts.
Mike Forrest

Taking a class from a local community college is a great way to start. Another great option is downloading Visual Studio Express for free, and getting a book on programming.
Michael Williams

Code Academy is a neat little site that my girlfriend has been using to learn Java.
David Gasca

Get adopted by a childless programmer.
Tom Slattery

Now you’re not helping, Tom!

triggerhappy964 Who is the best poker player on the Bungie team?

Poker night was just last night, actually. For now, at least, the best poker player at Bungie is Chris Owens.

Leprechaun209 Are any people in Bungie trained in the ways of the Force?

Halcylon thinks he’s a Jedi, and we love to indulge him. Whenever he makes that “Force Choke” gesture with his hands, we lay on the floor and gasp for air. Later on, we’ll have a good laugh watching him try to levitate stuff on his desk.

TrogDor404 What is the craziest thing you've done with your coworkers outside of work?

Sometimes we go deal some lead.

Our panel might prefer less violent forms of craziness.

What is this "outside of work" thing of which you speak? I find your ideas interesting and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
David Johnson

Played unhealthy amounts of Magic: The Gathering!
Alex Loret de Mola

Vegas.
Luke Ledwich

Paintball. While 7 weeks from delivering my first child. Granted, I was the "war photographer", but I was still in full gear with riot shield.
Lorraine McLees

For a few years, we've had a chance to help out with the Fight Like a Girl Tournament. It’s a huge amount of fun to play with fans while making money for a good cause.
Michael Williams

We all feel like real heels now, Michael. Thanks for that.

A Pimpin Lady I'm going to ask the same question you haven't answered for the past 3 weeks...

Let me stop you right there. Did you know that the definition of “insanity” is doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different result? I’m not saying that you are crazy or anything, I just love to define things.

relliK42 What's your favorite computer/console indie game?

I'll just go ahead and answer for the studio. Minecraft.
Travis Pijut

Minecraft. PC Game of the Year for several years running now.
Derek Carroll

Minecraft has easily held the most of my attention for the longest time.
Luke Ledwich

Hmm… The most recent game that I really enjoyed was Sword & Sorcery EP. I'd recommend it for iPad.
Cameron Pinard

I'll nominate the Commander Keen series.
Mike Forrest

I am really fond of Sequence, a rhythm RPG on both Xbox and PC.
Michael Williams

Skulls of the Shogun. I can't wait to play the final version. Just saw Super Amazing Wagon Adventure for the first time at the Seattle Indies Expo a couple of weeks ago, and it was super amazing as well.
Tom Slattery

CheckedBRUTES Is Jerome the only Security Guard that works At Bungie? Is there a night time Security Guard or does one of the Bungie Employees stay there?

It sounds a lot like you’re trying to identify gaps in our security. You won’t. There is a peacekeeper defending our front door at all times. Jerome is their Sheriff, but he has many deputies.

MightyMarcher01 School is starting up for some people soon. What is your favorite school memory?

Class is now in session, Panel…

Finishing that last exam each semester.
Luke Ledwich

One of those days where you're pouring yourself into something and look up and realize it's 2AM and you were supposed to have left the lab 4 hours ago.
Cameron Pinard

One of my favorite memories is the dinners with the community we formed there. We would cram so many friends around a dining hall table that trays would have to be removed to fit everyone. One of my favorite things about Bungie is that it reminds me of those days so often.
Michael Williams

What is it with all these incriminating questions?
Tom Slattery

How I missed getting my highest grade in Fundamentals class by 1/32 of an inch.
Lorraine McLees

Marching band! Actually, that's about the only high school memory I'd even consider living over. I miss playing music on a day-to-day basis (I played xylophone), especially the thrill of marching in the now-demolished RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
David Johnson

Winning a scrimmage against the #1 ranked Counterstrike team. I had an interesting first couple years.
David Gasca

Habah Would you quit your job at Bungie to be the President of the United States of America for 2 terms?

I can’t think of a better way to fast-track world domination. I accept. Thanks for the vote of confidence, man!

SPRTN One One 7 If you were to ever leave Bungie and have a new job, what would it be?

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a grass-roots movement has begun that will have me elected to the office of President of the United States through a groundswell of write-in votes. If elected, I promise to be tough on forum shenanigans, and reform the way we play games.

Oh, and barbequed ribs will be served with everything you order anywhere. DeeJ in 2012!

SkilPhil What was your most recent Xbox LIVE purchase?

Spelunky, which is brutally hard, but super-addictive.
Derek Carroll

Duels of the Planeswalkers
Alex Loret de Mola

Orcs must Die DLC pack.
Luke Ledwich

Downton Abbey Season 2, or did you mean games, Bastion, I'm a little behind on the games
Cameron Pinard

Fez.
Mike Forrest

Dawnguard.
Lorraine McLees

That would be Fez. I had a lot of fun playing that game, even though it turned out to be a very different game than the one I had been waiting for years.
David Johnson

Duels of the Planeswalkers. It's like Magic, except you don't have to buy cards! Except that it makes you want to buy cards... And then you do. And then you feel bad about yourself as a person. You try to keep your wife from finding out what you've been doing, but she figures it out. She's a quick one. And how do you talk your way out of that? You don't. You just apologize. You get down on your hands and knees, and you pour your heart out. You tell her that you're weak and that you'll never do it again. And then they release a new version, those insidious bastards.
Tom Slattery

robby118 Might we see a return to the Average Joe/Know Your Ninja articles?

Once we have a new game to discuss (or even play together), I’ll be ravenous about recognizing the enthusiasm of people who (want to) play it. When that happens, I’ll probably make up my own brand new kick ass names for those interludes. The last time I let Urk name a feature I had in mind, we ended up with the Mail Sack.

Wikked Navajoe If you could learn a second language, what would it be?

I already know two languages other than English! Well... kinda. I studied Spanish for 4 2/3 years in high school and university, so I'm still rather proficient, though my knowledge is rusting with each passing year. I also took Japanese classes for about a year and a half, though that's hardly anywhere close to being fluent. I'd love to pick up Japanese again whenever I find time, though if I had to pick a new language to learn, it'd probably be French or German.
David Johnson

Mandarin.
Alex Loret de Mola

Chinese, I would love to know what all the characters mean.
Luke Ledwich

Japanese. I took a few years of it in High School, and a year in College, but I've lost far more than I would have liked. The little bit I learned ended up helping a lot on a recent trip to Japan, and I'd love to be stronger at the language.
Michael Williams

Like, in an instant? I'd love to learn Klingon.
Lorraine McLees

Probably Japanese, since it would be the language I get the most use out of. I already know knew some Spanish from school, but I haven't used it in years so can't say more than "mi pantalones es rojo." (Enjoy the grammar correction emails Deej!)
Travis Pijut

A couple thousand gallons of red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and several tons of garlic, black peppercorn, brown sugar and heaps and heaps of bay leaves, and good clean water. These would need to be accompanied by a few pots, knives and chopping blocks and large measuring cups. And of course, I will need access to a lot of meat and a very safe way to get at them so I can make adobo ‘til the end of days.
Lorraine McLees

What a minute. Don’t we get hit by asteroids all the time that don’t extinguish all life on the planet? Didn’t that happen last weekend, even?

Malfar How did you enjoy the Perseid meteor shower?

Yeah. That’s what I was just talking about. Did anyone venture outside to look up? I know Jason Sussman took some sweet pics of the night sky. Anyone else?

Missed it. Thanks for waiting until after it ended to remind us.
Mike Forrest

It was pretty nice! I always love seeing the Perseids. My weekend was pretty busy so I wasn't able to head over the Cascades to get away from the light, but lying out on my apartment complex's boat dock still made for a pretty decent setting, all in all.
David Johnson

It was beautiful! I hung out at the base of Tiger Mountain to see it.
Alex Loret de Mola

I watched it in the best possible way: from atop a giant stone tower, while clad a medieval outfit. (Seriously)
Michael Williams

In pictures the next day. I'm old now.
Tom Slattery

Sitting up on our side deck until my neck ached, then curled up on top of the floor cushions under a blanket.
Lorraine McLees

I slept nicely, thank you for asking.
Travis Pijut

Not enough explosions.
Derek Carroll

Speaking of explosions…

SilverBulitt82 What's the atomic weight of Plutonium?

244 u.

Why? What’chu makin’? And yeah, I’m totally dispatching the NSA to your house. Remember, kids, no matter how pretty it might look when it glows in the dark, Plutonium is not a toy.

GoodBritinusa I am a wizard. I wear a blue wizard hat most of the day (even when sleeping) and practice my powers upon the many children I have in my cellar, mainly my fire ball spell...

I stopped reading that question and called the cops. Fireball spells are not toys, either. You people really are restless.

Dr Von Strangle If there was one thing you could take home from Bungie HQ, what would it be?

The arcade room (does that count as one thing?)
Alex Loret de Mola

As I just got a new beast of a PC I'd take that
Cameron Pinard

The Burnaroos! Who wouldn't want a multisceened, force-feedback Forza sim pod taking up all the space in their living room?
Michael Williams

The rad fireplace.
Tom Slattery

If I could just grab the theater in whole, and plunk it next to my house...
Lorraine McLees

Probably that sweet, super gigantic TV that we have in the conference room upstairs. I have no idea where I'd put it since my apartment isn't that big, but a guy can dream, right?
David Johnson

Derek Carroll

Anyone else notice that he finds a way to mention the wall almost every week?

Your MOM is MC What do a lot of the engineers and tool devs do once all of their programs and modifications have been made and sent to the artists and designers?

You make it sound like their work is ever done. It’s not. Sure, the guy who makes the hammer can hand over his creation and say “Go hit somethin’ with that…” The developers that make the tools we use work in an environment that is always evolving.

P.S. YOUR Mom is MC.

Hylebos What was the first program that you wrote that you felt proud of?

When I was 12, I was really proud of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” style game that I'd written in QBasic, even though I never did finish it. Did you know that QBasic cuts you off if your code file exceeds a certain number of lines? I didn't know either of those things when I was 12.
Alex Loret de Mola

I wrote a little visual basic form application that simulated killing an orc. It was awesome!
Luke Ledwich

I wrote a utility program at a previous company that was being used long after I had left, it was my first program to see heavy use outside of a very few people.
Cameron Pinard

I wrote a program on the Apple II that showed a robot zooming across the screen, hitting a wall, and exploding. That's all it did, but I was really proud to have figured out how to do animation and actually show something interesting.
Michael Williams

A sweet Tetris clone incorporating mechanics from Dance Dance Revolution that I made while learning C#. (It was cooler than it sounds.)
Tom Slattery

That's a hard question since I've been programming since back in elementary school. So while this probably isn't the first program I *really* am proud of, programming Blackjack for the TI-83 calculator was the first one that I really remember being proud of. A lot of my friends were downloading games onto their calculators, and my friends played mine quite a bit. I think that experience of sharing my work really made something to be remembered.
David Johnson

H4LO How long do you spend on average making sure the game sounds ok?

It should be obvious whom I would hassle to answer this question.

Marty O’Donnell said: We take the entire time it takes to develop a game to make sure the game sounds great. Almost all of our “polish” and final implementation of sound and music comes towards the end of development, which is due to the fact that the game isn’t ready for final mix or final music until it’s fully playable and design/art/engineering is finished and we can respond appropriately. We’re creating sounds, writing music, and figuring out how to get audio working in our engine right from the beginning.

ankerd123 What do you get most 'stoked' about when creating a game?

I just love concept art, the sheer potential during that phase is awesome. After that, the first playable build no matter how rough is just awesome.
Luke Ledwich

Anytime a new feature comes online that rush to try it out and make something cool with it, and then the point where you get to see everyone's work especially all that cool stuff you didn't even know was there because you've been head down dealing with your own stuff.
Cameron Pinard

Watching it all come together is really the best part.
Travis Pijut

I love deep-diving into the fiction of the games we make. The content our writing team creates always manages to get my imagination going crazy... enough so, that I regularly pester them with crazy ideas I've dreamed up.
Michael Williams

The art of creating new things. There's something about digging in and creating brand new code from scratch. It's like you're inventing something from nothing, and that feels pretty special.
David Johnson

Deloro501 Assuming for a moment there was a studious young lad with his desires set on someday helping Bungie achieve world domination, is Bungie currently accepting internship positions of any kind?

Should I assume that this lad is you? Or is this one of those questions about “a friend of mine?” I get this question a lot in my travels to know the hearts and minds of our community. Right now, the answer is “No.” We are not seeking any eager young minds to earn credits as a volunteer in our march toward world domination. That may change, though. All the paths that lead to our studio are clearly marked on our Careers page, so keep an eye on it.

Mythical Wolf Give us a REAL challenge!

Oh, I’m sorry. Have my weekly stunts been beneath you? Just last week, I asked you all to emulate the hairstyle of everyone’s favorite Curiosity Rover flight commander for a chance to channel your inner rocket scientist. This was the only brave soul who took me up on it.

You want something harder? That’s just fine, but I will not be your riddle master. When you mess with the bull, you get the horns. When you mess with Bungie, you get the mathletes. Earlier this week, I introduced you to David Johnson. He’s been kind enough to answer your challenge to create a real challenge with a challenge of his own creation. Here you go…

We will call this puzzle: "The Power of Seven." Post your answer on our forum.

There will be no hints. I will not provide helpful nudges or drop breadcrumbs of any kind. What I will do is gift the winner with rare swag that will intrigue your friends and give you a chance to brag about your problem-solving skills.

While you chew on that, I’ll be planning my exploits at happy hour. The weekend is upon us. For a change, it will be a hot one in our corner of the world. Please join me in staying cool, Bungie Community. Hang in there. We’ll continue this conversation next week.

Letters to the Webmaster - 2012

Bungie's Webmaster is a cantankerous, beer-addled misfit who wears a gorilla suit. Expecting sensible, polite answers from him is akin to gouging out your own eyes with frozen carrots. If you are easily offended, or frankly, if you are difficult to offend, then you should consider leaving now. He made me post this...

Dear Nerds,

Looks like Bungie went and hired another new jackass to glad-hand you whelps. Let me tell you something, this new guy is soft on idiocy. He also seems to think that Bungie.net isn’t good enough for keeping the Seventh Column under control.

As I wrapped my fist around his scrawny neck, he whimpered something about world domination and a tactical need to leave home from time to time. That made a fair amount of sense, so I went and had a look-see for myself. Guess what I found?

Facebook and Twitter.

Benjamin,

Don’t think you can fool me for one second with this babe in the woods routine. We never kicked an ass that didn’t beg for it, and from what I can tell you’re quite eager to prostrate yourself online. That said, we don’t mete out the justice in Halo anymore. Go bark up someone else’s tree, huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh.

Dear Eelis,

I like eating small insects that I find in my pelt, but that’s not something you wanted to know either.

TJ and James, James and TJ,

Saying that we’re working on the next Call of Duty is like saying you two Shakespearean fellows are writing yourselves a play. We all know that’s just not happening.

Jimmy,

One part of me wonders if posting to our Facebook page indicates that you do, in fact, care to some degree. Then again, given your flagrant abuse of punctuation, I also wonder if those letters coincidentally formed words when you mashed your face against the keyboard. If not, please do us all a favor and employ this method from here on out.

Thanks.

Worge,

You make it sound like we all went down in flames in a plane crash. That can’t be true. If that happened, who keeps stocking the fridge with hooch?

Abraham,

I’ve got a trade for you. If you are willing to stay as far away from our Facebook page as possible, I will pay your enrollment fee for a competitive multiplayer event I think you will love. It’s called a spelling bee.

Schamin,

You’ll also be the first one they find in the cmment under my crawlspace.

Cameron,

I’m your biggest fan. Please send me a Blu-ray copy of Hot Tub Time Machine and a case of beer. You can send it bulk if you want to save on shipping, just make sure you pack the booze in dry ice.

Jacob,

You’re welcome.

Tyler,

You, your friend, and those four other players who shouldn’t be listening to you should camp out the lobby at Microsoft headquarters and demand an answer. Or, go outside for an hour.

Zubin,

Speaking of families, your mom has asked me to tell you not to kiss her with that mouth anymore. Also, she won’t be home for dinner. There should be a Hot Pocket in the freezer.

Eat it.

Eric,

Do you really think that would do it? Because we have an appointment with a tattoo artist next week who is coming into the studio to scribble it onto our foreheads with a hot needle.

Breaking In - David Johnson

Wielding math so that we can wield tools...

You might have heard that Bungie is building a new universe. To build anything, you need tools. When the thing you’re building will live exclusively in a virtual space, the tools you end up using depend heavily upon a dark art known as “Math.” That’s why Engineers like this guy are really valuable to our construction site. Let’s visit his workbench and behold his mastery with crunching numbers…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is David Johnson, though I’m occasionally referred to by the moniker DJ. I’m one of the several engineers working on the Content Tools team. That’s just fancy talk to say that I help build and construct all of the various internal tools our artists and designers use to edit and visualize game content before it gets sent through our fearsome world domination engine, whereupon it will become a physical component of our game. Whether it’s fiddling with file wizards, world editors, or custom Maya modules, chances are that my team has a small hand in getting everything in the game into your hands.

I’m gonna have to admit that a lot of that sounds like a foreign language to me. Before we try to understand the true nature of your work, let’s get better acquainted. How does a guy like you spend the time that he doesn’t devote to making tools for us?

Recently, I’ve been swept up in the wave of the new dawn of board games. There’s a group here who games during the lunch hour, and I pretty quickly sought them out! Of course, it’s no secret that I love video games as well. I’m a particular fan of RPGs and adventure games—pretty much anything that tells a good yarn. To those ends, I read a lot of fantasy, and I dabble here and there with writing stories of my own.

As the person tasked with writing a story all about you, I must ask what you were doing before you became one of my smarter coworkers. What’s on your resume below the description for what you do for Bungie?

Before I landed in the games industry, I was a contractor for the US Air Force for several years where I helped construct virtual worlds in which to test the effectiveness of military projects before they were physically constructed and sent out into the field. Through some luck or divine intervention, I was hired on at Zipper Interactive as a Tools Engineer, where I lovingly built and nourished our level editor and other internal tools for MAG, SOCOM 4, and Unit 13. And this experience has led me to Bungie.

It doesn’t sound like you’ve had a single job that wasn’t focused on building virtual spaces. Was this all part of the plan? You seem to have traveled a narrow path to where you are now.

Ever since I was a wee lad discovering the wonders of the Atari 2600, I’ve always had the dream to make video games. I didn’t know exactly what that meant at the time though; I was only six! That dream caused me to create notebooks full of maps, drawings, and crazy ideas for game concepts during elementary school. In high school, I started designing and programming games for my friends on the TI-83 calculator. Despite my love for video games, Ohio was a scary land where no video game companies lived, so I temporarily settled into just being a run-of-the-mill computer scientist. That wasn’t nearly as fun as what I do now, let me tell you.

Before you escaped Ohio, did you go to school there to become the world-class mathlete that you are now?

After high school, I went to Wright State University (or as we liked to say, Wright State Wrong University) where I got two Bachelor’s Degrees in Computer Science and Computational Mathematics. Since I was a glutton for punishment, I stuck around for two more years to get a CS Master’s as well. All of the math (even some of the weird, abstract, advanced stuff) and physics have really paid its dividends in so many weird and unexpected ways, and my CS courses have given me a large toolbox of techniques to draw upon. Even if there are pieces here and there that I don’t ever use, a lot of it is still good and certainly worthwhile and helped hone my problem-solving skills.

Scheduling a job interview with Bungie is one of the hardest problems to solve. What did you say to make us take you seriously?

I told them they needed to ask more math questions on their programming test! What can I say? Math is really my first love. But seriously, I think what really spoke leagues about me was that I had several years’ experience solving the same difficult questions that most game studios have to deal with. I think it also helped that I was really strong in problem solving and demonstrated some sweet C#-fu during my interview.

Contrary to some of the horror stories I’ve heard about the Bungie interview loop, you make the process sound easy. Was it? There had to have been something that stumped you, even if for just a moment.

As much as I would love to say that it was Charlie’s evil mindbender problems, I think the hardest bit about the interview was maintaining my composure and cool from 9AM all the way through the end of the work day. While I had a lot of fun during the interview (Oh wait, was I not supposed to admit that?), it was a long day and certainly no walk in the park. My interviewers ran me through the gauntlet over nine hours. With all that said, it certainly was worth every minute to get here.

Tell us more about your reward for surviving that gauntlet. What is the most rewarding thing about the work that you do for Bungie?

There’s absolutely nothing better than getting to see someone in the studio using the features I developed to create something awesome. It gives me a secondhand feeling of awesome.

Aside from the work, do you find some reward in the workplace? What’s your favorite perk available to the people who work in our studio?

You mean, outside of learning from and fraternizing with some of the best folk this side of the Mississippi? Do I have to choose just one?

I might not know a lot about math, but I’m competent enough with language to verify that the word “favorite” does in fact lead you to just one thing. You must choose, DJ, but choose wisely.

I honestly don’t think I can; Bungie does so much to make us feel at home. I remember getting here on Day One to find this gargantuan box sitting on my desk with a big “Welcome” written on it, just waiting to be opened. We’ve been given free movies, tickets to sporting events, and bottomless stockpiles of food and drink. Maybe that’s it really: the never-ending message of: “Welcome to Bungie. We’re glad you’re here with us.”

It’s the truth. Without mathematicians like you, I would have nothing to write about – and we would have no tools at our disposal. Now that we’re making your story public, what would you say is the most newsworthy thing you have done since your arrival?

I think that would have to be the first foray I’ve ever taken into the code for our world editor. It’s pretty amazing, but it’s not the only hammer in our content creators’ toolbox. They use 3DS Max and Maya quite a bit. Wouldn’t it be great, I was told, if someone could actually see more or less what our levels looked like in those tools? Rather than taking crazy guesses as to where the ground actually was? I was assured that, if I could get that done, I would make many people really happy.

Little did I know. About the moment I had the task in a workable state (though by no means completely finished), I had several people swarming my desk asking for demonstrations and if I could actually get them some data right now if I would be so very kind. That was the moment I knew I had made a solid contribution here.

I always like to ask how people can get better at what they do in working for Bungie, but you’ve already admitted to tackling new frontiers. Is that just part of the life of an engineer?

The best thing about working on internal tools is that, quite literally, you have no idea what exactly you’ll be working on next month. We become jack-of-all-trades and red mages, dabbling a little in AI, graphics, user interface, data compilation, the whole works. So work challenges me quite a bit in and of itself. Outside of these majestic walls, however, I dabble a lot with web programming, which has always been a particular hobby of mine. I also tinker with the occasional project or new technology I discover, and for a time I was really into solving the problems at Project Euler.

Count for us the factors that add up to complete one day in your life as a Bungie Engineer.

After a grueling walk up the flights of stairs, I am sometimes met with bagels or donuts pristinely laid out upon our kitchen table, cheerfully bidding me a wonderful morning. Following that, I get out my trusty programmer’s pickaxe and start mining for the raw code ore that drives the gears and furnaces of our tools. This process is interrupted by our morning standup (whereby producers demand updates to know whether or not our code or quotas are being maintained), lunch (a fun ritual usually involving gaming against coworkers for supremacy and bragging rights), and the general bestowment of TLC for our artists and designers, ravenous for the Next Big Thing™ to come out of the Tools pod.

A workday like that might appeal to a lot of people who aren’t scared of math. Can you share with them your equation for success?

I’d love to say that I know the secret, inside track on how to find your way into the video game industry, but I still feel like I was incredibly lucky to break in. I can’t give any direct advice on how to get there, but I can say that it’s definitely in your best interest to dream big and to never stop challenging yourself to go the extra mile. Even if you’re not always met with success, you always learn something in the process, and people will see the passion that drives your life and want you to be a part of their visions.

Thanks for sharing with us your words of inspiration. I have a final problem for you to solve: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

I believe Work Ethic is the most important of the three. You can be talented or have lots of experience in a certain field, but without the drive or passion to actually hunker down and actually execute that vision, ultimately nothing ever gets done, and your talent or experience is wasted. After that, the other two are fairly coequal, and I think any team worth its salt needs a little bit of both, experience to know how problems have traditionally been solved while talent allows for new insights on how to solve them.

David’s insights on breaking into this industry represent only one avenue. Getting a job making games is a problem with many solutions. It this one sounds like it might not be for you, there is no reason to assume that you don’t belong making games. Our Breaking In archive is a good roadmap for people will all kinds of skills.

Mail Sack. In SPACE!

Get your ass to Mars...

It’s been an exciting week for lovers of science fiction – which we totally are at Bungie. Sometimes truth is even stranger than fiction, like when a band of scientists use a flying saucer to park a car on another planet. Curiosity Fever has gripped many an imagination in our studio. As a break in that action, we are obeying the usual ritual of addressing your curiosities – the ones that you so lovingly deposit on our forum every week.

OIO CABOOSE OIO What did you guys think of the Curiosity Landing on Mars?

I have this recurring dream about journeying to Mars in which I become the hero of a colonial community of mutants by defying an oppressive regime and activating an ancient alien relic that ends up producing a breathable atmosphere. It’s exciting that we might actually get the chance to do that someday. I am sure the Bungie Panel has some less delusional thoughts…

People here were jealous – some folks in the studio would trade everything for a chance to go to Mars!
Ben Wommack

You can't prove I cried.
John Stvan

Go humanity!
Alex Loret de Mola

What a great opportunity for the country to, if only briefly, become once again enamored with the sciences.
Nate Hawbaker

How ironic it would be if it turned out it had landed on a Martian cat.
Tom Slattery

I am astounded by humanity's creativity and engineering prowess. I can't wait to see what we do next.
Michael Williams

Per audacia ad astra.
Alan Stuart

I found it bittersweet. I see the amazing things humanity can achieve, yet we spend so little money on it, compared to the ugly things humanity does.
Andrew Davis

Oh come on now, Andrew. Don’t be so cynical. Just think of how amazing “The Real Housewives of Mars” will be.

triggerhappy964 Will you answer this question without the use of sarcasm?

Nope. When you try to part us with our sarcasm, we get really defensive. It’s like trying to snatch a blanket from the hands of a child that is not ready to let go. To make this abundantly clear, I won’t answer this next question sincerely either…

AxJARxOFxDIRT This is a question for Mr. Martin O'Donnell (but I guess you can answer it). Besides the piano, what is your favorite instrument?

Marty is busy, so I got this. I find the Altimeter and the Geiger Counter to be pretty useful instruments.

Okay, okay… Marty told me that he likes the Cello, too. But only second to the Piano!

spawn031 As we made history this week during the Mars Curiosity Landing, we learned that the guys over at NASA have a tradition of eating peanuts for good luck. When Bungie Employees are crunching at work and need some good luck, what do you guys eat?

I don’t eat for luck. I do often wear my “Bungie, fix your –blam-” t-shirt when in bug crunching mode. More for irony than luck though.
Andrew Davis

NASA engineers. You may claim it’s a silly superstition, but it works!
Derek Carroll

Fried chicken and red vines. Just kidding! That's our normal crunch fair. People chug the Red Bull pretty regularly during long hours, but I don't think that has anything to do with good luck – more like desperation.
Ben Wommack

It used to be Swedish Fish, until I looked at the back of the package and saw they were actually made in Canada. It felt like my entire life had been a lie.
Tom Slattery

Meat. In the kitchen we literally have a cabinet labeled "Meat" that is magically refilled every morning.
Alan Stuart

Soylent Green!
Alex Loret de Mola

That’s gross, Alex. Don’t you know it’s made out of people?

Kage24Neko Do the B.Net team feel like bees in a trap?

What exactly are you asking here? If you are asking if the Bungie.net Developers feel imprisoned by their work, the answer is “No, certainly not!” They love what they do. If you are asking if they are slicked in a delicious sheen of honey, the answer is “Most definitely!”

TheSpiderChief What is the longest amount of time you have spent awake whilst making games?

Exactly equal to the time it’s taken to make all the games I’ve made. (Or did you mean consecutively?)
Andrew Davis

I believe around 30 hours was my maximum, back during Halo 2.
Michael Williams

25 hours, back during Halo 3. Though this last year has challenged that record a couple times.
Ben Wommack

I remember being awake for 3 days during Reach.
John Stvan

I stayed up for over 48 hours during the crunch for MechAssault. I went to bed when I started hallucinating smoke filling the room.
Derek Carroll

While working on another game before coming to Bungie, I spent a solid six months with less than three hours of sleep each night (other than the occasional Saturday where I'd crash hard and literally sleep through the entire day). Kids, don't try this at home.
Alex Loret de Mola

MiloOmega Where do you get most of your ideas for your story? “Your Mom” is not an acceptable answer.

You again? Remember when I promised that you would regret being First? Skank, he’s all yours…

“Your Mom!”
Scott Kankelborg

a rascal cat Who is the funniest employee?

Travis Pijut. He’s the silent killer.
Joey Gibbs

DeeJ is by far the funniest looking.
Nate Hawbaker

While Bungie still worked at Microsoft, Mat Noguchi was kicked off the internal "Xbox Discussion Alias" for a multitude of policy infractions. I think Mat is hilarious.
Alan Stuart

Luke Timmins without a doubt. Sorry DeeJ. You're a Fun Guy, but no one tops the Sausage King.
Ben Wommack

On a given day many fellow employees will make me laugh, but the one of the most consistently successful for me is Mr. Rajeev Nattam.
Michael Williams

Stormkiller626 Why do you guys never answer my questions? Seriously, I think this is rigged...

You really don't want to treat the Mail Sack like an election or a popularity contest. We ain’t choosing a Prom King here. This is our chance to keep in touch as we fumble toward each other through the darkness. The best questions are ones that provoke sparkling conversation on a topic that doesn’t cut too close to the bones of the game we are creating.

coolmike699 They answer lots of my questions. If it's rigged, I like it this way.

Again, Mike, I’m not playing favorites here. It just so happens that you have a habit of asking cool questions that serve up some red meat for our Panel, like this one:

You're the head coach of a sports team that you have, through montages of training, brought from a fumbling bunch of novices to the state championships. What do you say to motivate these people to victory?

Allow me to fully appreciate the fact that you are measuring the density of training in montages, rather than time. Let's see how our panelists would inspire their minions to greatness.

“No slaughter!”
Andrew Davis

“It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home.”
John Stvan

“Free beer if we win.”
Alex Loret de Mola

"Remember, the enemy gate is down."
Michael Williams

Derek Carroll

WestCoastRonin Can I single out Dave Mongan? What book(s) should every writer read?

Dave said: If you are asking what to read to become a better screenwriter, I definitely have a few recommendations. “Story” by Robert McKee gives great insight into the process of crafting compelling characters and tales. It’s not a quick read, but it’s invaluable. “Save The Cat! Goes to the Movies” by Blake Snyder is at the other end of the spectrum – light on theory, but very easy to read and absorb because it breaks down story types using modern-day movies as a reference. Probably the best recommendation I can give, though, is to find screenplays for your favorite movies (either online or in bookstores) and break them down scene-by-scene, act-by-act, character-by-character. Not only will you (hopefully) learn the importance of structure in successful storytelling, you’ll also learn proper screenplay formatting and see how a story translates from the page to the screen, which is oftentimes quite an eye-opening experience.

Of course, if you just want to bend the spine on a great read, that’s another story entirely. I have a few authors from very disparate genres that I particularly dig: Iain M. Banks for sci-fi, Michael Connelly for mystery/thrillers, and of course the horror master himself, Steven King. Oh, and don’t forget comic books. I’m currently loving me some old-school Larry Hama “GI Joe,” and the newest “Dark Knight” series written by friend & former co-worker, Gregg Hurwitz.

A Spanish dollar (piece of eight) dated 1608 gifted to me by my grandfather. The coin is worn extremely thin by the countless hands that have touched it. I often wonder about the people that possessed it before me.
Alan Stuart

My Windows Server 2003 Leatherman pocket tool.
Ben Wommack

My coffee-stained copy of Atlantis by Mark Doty.
Alex Loret de Mola

I've got an intact "casino map" from an amazing puzzle hunt I participated in (my first puzzle hunt ever). Embedded in the map are a huge number of puzzles that eventually convert the thing into a 3-dimensional Indiana Jones style solution reveal.
Michael Williams

My mirror.
John Stvan

R0flc0pt3r What's the worst part about your job?

Facing John “Halcylon” Stvan in a playtest. He’s not bad at the game, and not all shy about reminding you of this fact if he kills you within earshot of your desk.

im am b0red What is the most difficult game you guys have ever played?

I probably only played the most difficult game I ever played for a few minutes, because it was too difficult. Probably some 80’s side-scroller where you have to dodge projectiles. Too hard!
Andrew Davis

The stock market.
Tom Slattery

I WANNA BE THE GUY. They basically threw all of the usability heuristics right out the window.
Joey Gibbs

Sunset Riders. I was also 9. Actually scratch that. After reading others responses, I'd like to revise that to say Trials Evolution.
Nate Hawbaker

First of all, let's invalidate competitive multiplayer. Second, any game which is only difficult because of bugs or poor design. That leaves us with Demon Souls / Dark Souls, and WoW raiding. Heroics are hard.
Ben Wommack

Trials HD.
Alan Stuart

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES (it was also available on the Amiga, from what I hear). I've actually beaten it fair and square, however. My childhood was sacrificed on its merciless altar for the sake of seeing its crappy 30 second ending.
Alex Loret de Mola

I tried Battletoads once... it did not go well. There was also this one time on Bungie Day when we challenged the community for steaks... it, also, did not go well.
Michael Williams

Sunburned Goose Do other game developers share their games with you before they are finished?

OJ (you remember OJ, don’t you?) made some friends at a development house called Squad. They hooked us up with some codes to play Kerbal Space Program. It’s a space exploration simulator that’s in Alpha right now. You should check it out…

Would you like to play? I can score you a code. If you want to channel your inner rocket scientist, all you have to do is emulate the haircut that has made Bobak Ferdowski (Flight Director of the Mars Curiosity Mission) an Internet sensation.

(Kids, be sure to get permission from your parent’s before you mutilate their precious image of you. I don't want a flood of angry emails from mothers who are enraged over the fact that their little angel looks like a Mohawk spaceman.)

Mythical Wolf Favorite Olympic sport?

Beach Volleyball.
John Stvan

Archery. An admirable skill, and one of the few featured in the Olympics that would genuinely help in a post-apocalyptic world.
Alex Loret de Mola

10M diving. I used to dive back in high school. Did you know that people have been known to literally break their thumbs on the tops if their heads if they don’t keep their elbows locked on entry? Crazy.
Joey Gibbs

For the second week in a row, a Bungie Panelist has invoked xkcd to answer your questions. It’s "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language" – or so they say. Last week, I didn’t credit them (at least, not until I was corrected by Andrew Davis) for an image I pilfered from their site. This week, I’ll use your question to double-down on the credit they so richly deserve for illustrating the highs and lows of development culture.

MightyMarcher01 What is your favorite video game enemy?

Kefka, Final Fantasy VI. His schizophrenia was palpable.
Alex Loret de Mola

Frankystein Mark II. After beating that boss, it really convinced you of how strong you had become.
Nate Hawbaker

Ragnaros at level 60 with 39 other people working together to bring him down. That was truly epic.
Alan Stuart

The dude who challenges you to a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" in order to beat a level in Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
Scott Taylor

GLaDOS. A complex and interesting opponent who is also written brilliantly.
Michael Williams

Ryaanski What would you think if I sang out of tune?

I would stand up, and walk out on you.

Kidding! I kid you. What I would really do is harmonize with you in lovely dulcet tones that would make up the difference. Also, we would need to grow a mop of long hair.

We’ll sing some more of this duet next week. When I saw “we,” I mean Bungie and our Community – you know, the royal we. Keep your eyes trained on our forum Monday for your chance to write your portion of the sheet music.

Breaking In - Ondraus Jenkins

It's business time...

Life at Bungie is not all fun and games. I am told that, beyond the creation of an exciting new universe, there are business concerns that also command our attention. Recently, our community asked us to unmask some of the more practical members of our team – the negotiators who keep the world safe for our best ideas and make the deals that let you experience them. I didn’t have to walk too far from my desk to find such a person. This guy sits right behind me…

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

My name is Ondraus, but my nom de guerre is OJ, finely tailored to drive terror into the hearts of Bungie’s enemies. My title rotates day-to-day for security purposes. Once upon a time I was a lawyer. These days, I am known as Head of Business Development and Strategy.

Strategy! Does that make you the go-to guy for multiplayer tactics? I have always had a hard time defending a base on Hemorrhage.

I will have precisely no impact on the game our fans will play. They can all breathe a collective sigh of relief and stop reading now.

You gotta help me sell this, man. Before I try to figure out why we even need someone like you in the first place, let’s make you a little more interesting to our readers. What might we find you doing when you’re not developing our business?

Sorry, I don’t understand the question.

How do you have fun? Does a strategist even know what fun is?

If you press me, I would say that I love all things aerospace related. Like say, a rover the size of Harold Ryan’s truck lands on Mars with an impossibly intricate and amazing landing system. You might find me up in the dark of the morning to consume every last detail of such a thing. Wait…you’re telling me that actually happened?

I’ve also been known to windsurf, scuba dive and I like my dog. Are we done here?

We're just getting warmed up, spaceman. Settle in and prepare for a full deposition. Assuming Bungie needs a businessman (and I am not yet convinced that we do), where did we find one that understands our crazy variety of business?

Prior to my current engagement with Bungie, Inc., I was a member of the Worldwide Business Development team at Electronic Arts. Before that I was an associate in a boutique law firm in Beverly Hills which represents A-list film, television, and music talent. And before that—in a time before time was time—I was a corporate associate in a very large law firm and often slept under my desk while still wearing my suit for warmth.

You know, that’s actually pretty cool – except for the part about wearing a suit. Since it seems like you’ve reached some lofty goals; I’ll cut you some slack. If I asked your younger self what he wanted to do with his life, what would he have said?

Fighter pilot and astronaut. I abandoned those dreams when I was told that I was better suited to nuclear service than aviation due to my less than stellar eyesight. Bummer, right? After graduating, I flirted with the idea of covert service in the CIA but…wait…I’ve said too much.

Too late! I will now spend the rest of this conversation assuming that you have been sent here to spy on us. Your role as a businessman is a brilliant cover. How did you prepare yourself for such an elaborate charade?

My misspent youth is a tale of woe writ in the halls of many and varied institutions. Let’s just say I’m overeducated.

I graduated from a university founded by a robber baron. Then I spend the next four years earning a Masters Degree in International Policy and a Juris Doctorate. For those really interested, I went to Stanford, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Columbia University School of Law.

And there goes all your cool down the drain… No spy would talk like that.

If you’d be so kind, allow me to elaborate on this question for a moment. We often have the instinct to follow well understood paths, and there is logic behind that approach. But I’d like to suggest that people listen to their passions. Starting from the other side of this story, nobody could draw a straight line between where I started and Bungie. But looking back, resting firmly in some crazy non-Euclidian space, is that roughly straight track. This is a long way of saying, there is no single path. Learn from folks that have done it before you, but don’t get stuck in the ruts.

I’ll allow that testimony, counselor. You’re very convincing. How did you convince us to cross-examine you as a job applicant?

Flattery, plain-and-simple. I maneuvered myself into prime flattery-delivery position by meeting and becoming friends with a guy who knew a guy.

In all seriousness, years ago when I was in Hollywood I was on the other side of a deal with a person who often works with Bungie. I had known him for years and he introduced me to a personage-of-significance at Bungie. I met a couple of key dudes in the company a couple of weeks later and the rest is history. The moral of this story is you never know who is going to open doors for you, so treat folks accordingly until you have enough power to crush all who defy your will.

I’m not lying about the flattery. I had played (almost) every Bungie game to date. I was and continue to be a huge fan that was and is passionate about games and entertainment. I believe that passion, and the ability to appear to know what I’m talking about, came through.

Okay. This is starting to come into focus now. So there you were, on the stand. What was the hardest part about delivering all of that flattery to our judges?

This is a tossup between my nervousness and the fact that my interviewers often didn’t know what to make of me. I’m not a designer, engineer, artist, animator or sound guy, so it can be challenging to prove your value in the compressed context of an interview.

By the way, we are hiring. Come prepared to your interview because the bar is very high and we can smell the delicious fragrance of your fear.

Alright, alright… Give it a rest for a minute. You can negotiate contracts later. I want to know more about the parts of your job that you really love.

Impact. All of us need to make a difference, and that is an incredibly satisfying feeling. To be honest, I think I have the best job in the world for somebody with my background and interests, and I suspect everybody here feels the same way.

That and the t-shirts.

They do suit you better than a suit. You seem to be here every day when I arrive. How do you fill a whole day in our chambers?

Bagel. Soda. Burrito at Oobas. Soda. Beer. Before you know it, 16 hours have passed and your wife wants to know if you got lost on the way home.

Is it the soda that drives you, then? What is your favorite perk about being on our team?

The biting sarcasm…and the t-shirts.

Don’t make me ask for permission to treat you like a hostile witness. You will answer the question.

Working with an incredibly talented team all moving in one direction to build something amazing. It’s the constant challenge, excitement and humor that make it worth getting out of bed at silly hours and going home at stupid hours.

That’s more like it. Let’s enter into evidence your favorite accomplishment during your time here.

This would have been difficult for me to answer but for the fact it was published in the LA Times. I’d also say reorganizing Bungie to become employee-owned.

Independence is a word that is often thrown around, but in my view, it is core to what makes Bungie a special place to work. Imagine you have a choice: to follow a well-understood track with a calculable expectation of success, or start from a fresh piece of paper to create something new not knowing whether it will be accepted. It’s as crazy as it is hard. But every Bungie employee owns a piece of that dream which is extremely rare and gratifying.

Further to the point of gratification is the act of getting better at what we do. Given that your skills were so hard to earn in the first place, is there anything you can do at a place like Bungie to learn new things?

Surfing the Internets and playing games?

On my way out the door at EA I told a colleague that I wanted to get closer to the “product.” Ah, what a fool I was then. I try to extend myself beyond the business details to the actual production of the game we are making.

It’s funny, I first heard the use of the word “product” in connection with the entertainment industry when I started working in Hollywood, and it always stuck with me. I get it—hell it’s my job—making games and movies is a business.

Imagine, if you will, that an aspiring young businessman out there wants to follow their own passions to a place where they get to work with people who make games. Is there anything you can tell them about the chaotic trail you have blazed?

I had something for this…hang on.

Don’t sit down, play a great game and say to yourself “I want to do that,” because that is not what making games is about. You simply must be passionate about this industry to do great things, feel fulfilled and have fun while you are doing it because, and please hear me if only this one time, making games is really, really hard.

Perhaps more important, don’t imagine the game you want to play next week or next year. Imagine the experience you want to have in five years, because that is the only way you can change the world.

Before our closing statements, please rank the following in order of importance to your role: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent?

I think you nailed it, although I believe—except for those very rare exceptional people on whose shoulders we all stand—talent is a combination of the first two.

This court is adjourned. You are free to go.

We will admit that Ondraus’ story is a rare one, but it does prove a point that you never know where a career will lead you, given the right passions. Bungie needs professionals of every breed to bring our game to the marketplace. You can learn about all of them in the Breaking In archive.

Your Favorite Mail Sack

Like a brown paper package, tied up with string...

There is no such thing as a Favorite Thing at Bungie. One truth on which we can all agree is that we like to play kick ass games. Beyond that, our preferences for movies, music, or even the sweetest fruits of our labor can be as different as the stars in the night sky. Don’t take my word for it. Just check out the galaxy of viewpoints that twinkled in response to the questions you asked this week.

Khirna Does working in a building with so many talented people intimidate, inspire, or humble you?

All of the above. Everyone that works here is either smarter or more talented than me in their own way. It’s intimidating when they talk to me as if I understand the complex challenges they face every day, inspiring to see their creative solutions, and humbling that they would let me tell their story. It’s the reason why I devote so much time to luring them out in front of you so they can speak for themselves.

Ask them a question. Go ahead…

defnop552 What's your favorite animated film?

Pat Jandro

Travis Pijut

Daniel Hanson

Alex Loret de Mola

Andrea Fonger

David Johnson

Mark Flieg

Lorraine McLees

Derek Carroll

Xd00999 This a question to Ben Wommack: What is your favorite Pratchett book? Which would you recommend?

Congratulations, Ben. You’ve been singled out. Care to conduct a one-man book club?

Ben Wommack said: Well that’s cool, and on my birthday too!

Here we go: Sir Terry Pratchett has written several of my favorite books, mostly in his extensive Discworld series. All of his story arcs there are excellent with memorable characters, but I’ve re-read “Thud!” the most. Does that make it my most-favorite book? I also can’t get enough of the Vimes stories, as they usually try and tackle some meaty social issue while also providing a good mystery.

As for recommendations: If you haven’t read any of Sir Terry’s work before, start with “Men at Arms,” which is in Discworld, or “Good Omens,” in which he collaborated with Neil Gaiman. If you are already a fan, I’ll shoot three of the more obscure titles at you: “Monstrous Regiment,” “Nation,” and “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.” All are very memorable novels.

Mythical Wolf What did you want to be when you were young?

A ninja. Still a work in progress.
Mark Flieg

An artist. Go figure.
Pat Jandro

I wanted to be a game tester since I first saw an ad for Nintendo's Game Tester College in an old issue of Nintendo Power. Then they closed that down, and I moved on, until I had the opportunity to get into the industry and jumped on it. Now here I am.
Travis Pijut

At various points in my childhood, I wanted to be an astronaut, a landscape architect, and a money manager.
Andrea Fonger

Abe who? You mean Abe Froman? Sausage King of Chicago? Founder of Camp Froman? Featured developer from many ViDocs? Shipper of many Bungie titles? He’s still here. You can even play “Where’s Abe?” with this photo, taken on Bungie Day…

(hint: third row, second from the left, talks with his hands)

Boss of OWNAGE What is the craziest/silliest thing you have witnessed while working at Bungie?

A scorpion attached to a banshee that had working recoil.
Luke Ledwich

Frag Ingot Will Jason Jones ever participate in one of these Mail Sacks? If he does ask him this, "Besides kicking back at your desk with your feet up, what is your favorite part of working at Bungie?"

As Project Director for our work in progress, Jones has very little time to kick back at his desk with his feet up. It’s for this very reason that I don’t trouble him with Mail Room shenanigans. Never say never, but never say Soon™ either.

ALI217 What's the best thing that Bungie offers you as employees?

The chance to work for Bungie. Oh and I think we get paid and get benefits or something? I don't really keep track.
Travis Pijut

A better healthcare plan than the healthcare company I was working for previously!
Alex Loret de Mola

Amazing people to work with.
Luke Ledwich

More vacation than I really know what to do with!
David Johnson

Free games!
Andrea Fonger

The means and opportunity to live the life I want to live.
Pat Jandro

RedBull... and that whole working on an amazing project with amazing people thing.
Nate Hawbaker

Besides getting paid to do what we really like doing? Swag!
Lorraine McLees

Your Mom.
Scott Kankelborg

Derek Carroll

AcedannyK 7 How often is Bungie-related apparel worn in the studio?

Every single day. It’s pretty easy to sort the ancients from the noobs. They drape themselves proudly in threadbare swag stained by the sweat from shipping older titles. The rest of us stick to the colorful new designs that we shared with you on Bungie day. To the untrained eye, it looks like we have a really bad gang problem.

Wikked Navajoe How often do you wear a suit and tie?

About as often as we attend weddings or funerals (the former hopefully more than the latter). The Holiday Party is tie-optional, but that only happens like once or twice a year.

Particle Man Is there anything you would do to improve the work environment at Bungie?

Close the blinds, turn out the lights, and lower the temperature. Everyone else seems to like that cancer orb and warm weather.
Travis Pijut

Turn bagel Fridays into barbell Fridays.
Mark Flieg

Your Mom.
Scott Kankelborg

thenewxegk I can haz Recon? But seriously: I'd like to ask…

Let me stop you right there. The answer is “NO!” And, I am penalizing you for asking with my refusal to even acknowledge your more serious question. Had this been a question about Blue Flames, I would have had to ban you. Since a request for Recon is kitschy now, I’ll let it slide.

Ockeghem What movie do you quote the most in life's conversations?

Always be closing, always be closing.
Derek Carroll

You're the weak, and I'm the tyranny of evil men.
Alex Loret de Mola

You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders!
David Johnson

I do not think that means what you think it means.
Luke Ledwich

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
Mark Flieg

Stay on target!
Lorraine McLees

Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.
Josh Hamrick

We gave you the quotes. Be the first to give us the titles of the movies, and you win swag.

Geegs30 What’s your favorite sight in the studio?

The over-the-shoulder view of my coworkers’ monitors is always a lovely sight. They’re like windows into a world that is evolving into something wonderful.

We most certainly have! Our User Research team has very specific curiosities in mind when they tap a Beta Tester on the shoulder. The mazes that they build into their Laboratorium are meticulously customized for the people they choose to run through them. If you have yet to be selected, sit tight – and make sure that the email address attached to your profile is one that you still check. Your time may yet come.

Lobster Fish 2 If you could go back in time one hundred years and say one sentence to the entire world population, what would you say?

"There isn't much time, whatever you do, don't..." then vanish.
Travis Pijut

"I strongly advise you to regulate the stock market."
Alex Loret de Mola

The same answer you always give when traveling back in time: "Buy Apple stock."
Daniel Hanson

"Your Mom."
Scott Kankelborg

sacktapped Does Bungie have a surplus of weapons in case of a zombie apocalypse?

Only the virtual kind. There is a Day Z infection that is starting to spread here. We do have a whole display case filled with weapons in our trophy room, but replicas and props aren’t likely to do a lot of damage to the living dead.

UnderTheKnif3 What's the single most important piece of advice that got you to where you are?

"Don't buy Apple stock." It made me not-filthy-rich, so I have to work for a living. Luckily, I managed to land here!
Daniel Hanson

“Wherever you go, there is always going to be someone who will be better at what you are doing, so keep improving your skills and don't stop learning.”
Lorraine McLees

“Even if you don't know what you're talking about, lie like you do.”
Pat Jandro

“Always work your hardest, even if it seems like an unimportant task.”
Travis Pijut

“Never give up. Trust your instincts.”
Alex Loret de Mola

“Never settle for less than you're capable of.”
David Johnson

I'll offer two (sorry, my rules): "You can talk yourself into or out of anything." And, "Remember that you are better than no man, and no man is better than you."
Mark Flieg

MAC Blast How often do you see people from other studios?

Some of the best places to grab lunch are right between Bungie and Valve. Unlike the rival scientists from Aperture and Black Mesa, we cross paths every day whether we realize it or not. Sometimes the branded hoodies give us away to each other. Other times, we are like ships passing in the night.

ankerd123 If you had to choose any company besides Bungie, who would you work for?

Mr. Gordon's Chicken Shop in Neutral Bay, Sydney, Australia. I really enjoyed the people when I worked there.
Luke Ledwich

If I couple that wishful thinking with a boost in engineering skills, I would pick Lockheed Martin or Tesla Motors.
Lorraine McLees

I'd go film animal and ocean life for the BBC or Discovery Channel.
Pat Jandro

I am a huge mech nut, so I would love to be a simulator pilot for the first mech company. Come on Japan, hurry up already.
Travis Pijut

Initech. But only if I get to tell other people to file TPS reports and work on weekends.
Alex Loret de Mola

Somewhere I could have access to lots of sweet classic cars and supercars. Somewhere like Top Gear.
Andrea Fonger

The Discovery Channel, on my own crazy adventure/X Games series.
Mark Flieg

DE4THINC4RN4TE Why do more employees not have b.net accounts? Is it because they are not interested or they are not allowed?

Of course they are interested. Just look at all the people who have taken the time out of their day to run the gauntlet of this mass-interrogation.

wolfhunter9154 How does it feel to be released from your dungeon for a time in order to answer this?

Who says I'm not in the dungeon?
Andrea Fonger

I was compiling anyway.
David Johnson

My computer is in the dungeon. There is no release.
Derek Carroll

I'm answering this from work, not from home...
Pat Jandro

We were supposed to get released?!
Travis Pijut

The Mail Sack is kind of like our "visiting hours".
Daniel Hanson

And visiting hours are over. Back to work, you dogs. This game won’t ship itself.

Fear not, Bungie Community. The “dungeon” will open again next week, climbing wall and all, and let slip the interested parties that we allow to talk to you. Your chance to ask them a question will happen on Monday (or whenever I feel like it). Yes, that’s an apology for making you wait until Tuesday this time. It won’t happen again (unless I feel like it).

Bungie Day @ Bungie

Making a game we want to play...

On Bungie.net, the seventh day of the seventh month of every year marks a special occasion. We celebrate the community that keeps us company while we work on our next game. That same community asks a lot of questions about how we celebrate Bungie Day inside our studio.

Within the safety and security of our walls, the affair is very different. Like the Pentathlon, we take a break from production to play some games. Unlike the Pentathlon, the focus of the day is on one game… ours.

You’re invited to relive the events of this day in the photos that were taken. Don’t strain your eyes looking for details. Those are still secrets for us to keep, but you’re welcome to spy on one of the more special days in the life of a Bungie employee.

Upon entering the studio, we were greeted with an itinerary that would span day and night.

Our morning began as any should – with the most important meal of the day.

With the buffet looted of its riches, all hands gathered for the opening ceremony.

Breaking In - Chris Chambers

The Doctor will see you now...

When you play a video game, how do you know you’re any good? Are you rewarded for blowing stuff up with a sense of accomplishment? Do you feel like you get better over time? These questions belong to a team that schemes behind the scenes to keep you feeling engaged by the games you play. Because these plans are hatched in a piece of software, they require the support of Engineers. Let’s corner one of those guys and ask him how he became engaged in a career making games.

Who are you, and what do you do at Bungie?

I am Chris Chambers. I work on the engineering side of the "investment" team, which mostly does progress bars! A progress bar wants to be displayed, networked, persisted, and its strategy for advancement needs design, so the investment team works with lots of others. You'll feel my influence when you are watching something increment.

So guys like you write the code that keeps guys like me salivating over my next rank upgrade? Tell us about your own personal sense of investment. While I am chasing a virtual promotion in front of my console, what are you chasing?

Sunlight! (It's dark in the studio.) Also parenting, volleyball, video and board games.

Ah, yes. The darkness! Different types of people lament different types of studio darkness for different reasons. Before you committed yourself to our light-proof cave, where might we have found you?

I started in the games industry 5 years ago because I wanted to work on software I actually used. Other careers I discarded included teaching computer science to undergrads and writing software I didn’t use for medical offices and manufacturing companies.

I could argue that both medical and manufacturing software help us live our lives every day, but I know what you mean. It’s easier to become really excited about software that lets us play games. Did you always plan to find yourself a job that was related to your passion?

This was a hard question when growing up; when I asked people how they got to where they were, it sounded like they fell into their careers by chance. I think I wanted to be idle?

Well, you certainly strayed from that path. There are not a lot of idle hands at Bungie these days. We have skilled craftspeople hard at work on every discipline that goes into a game. Tell us how you learned the skills of your chosen trade. Care to recount your education for us?

I earned a Ph.D in computer science. My research topic was cheat prevention and scalable strategies for hosting on-line games, which has been, you know, relevant. I did learn a lot of handy computer science in academia too, but a lot more about intrinsic motivation.

Beg your pardon, Doctor Chambers! Thank you for your service in the war against cheaters. Is that how you instilled in Bungie the intrinsic motivation we needed to size you up as a potential member of our team?

I did research in on-line games specifically for an industry position, but Bungie was an inside job. My graduate school confederate had just been hired onto the Bungie networking team, and he convinced them that the office Feng Shui wouldn't be right without me.

Considering how often we rearrange the floorplan around here, Feng Shui is hardly a laughing matter. Before you could join our never-ending game of musical chairs (and desks), you had to survive a full day of interviews with Bungie people. Was that as hard for you as it has been for others?

I'm a nervous interviewee, so the hardest part was trying to hear the tiny voice of reason in the back of my brain over the blaring voice of panic in the front. Towards the end of the day I was just tired, so that made it hard in a different way.

At the end of that dreaded day, your progress bar as a candidate was full. Well done. What happens on the other side of that boss fight? Can you pick a day in our studio and tell us what you do?

Promoting synergy is an important part of keeping a team this large focused on one objective. Is there something that we have done that made you feel at home as the member of a really big family?

The Pentathlon! That one day was the most fun I've ever had at work anywhere!

Ah, yes. Nothing like a little healthy competition to inspire us to band together. When we are not trying to etch our names onto the Pentathlon trophy, there are other progression systems to occupy us. For instance, is Bungie a place where you can get better at what you do? Is it hard to tackle new challenges and add them to your skillset?

I don’t have to try very hard; I work with an amazing team, and the work environment really promotes collaboration. For personal projects, I mess around with mobile development and recommender systems.

Ph.D’s in computer science can be rare, but there are a lot of people out there that would love to work alongside you. Short of commanding them to become a doctor of code, is there any advice you can share to help them realize their own dreams?

What worked for me was developing expertise in an industry area that I had a real passion for (eff cheaters). I think it's a good approach!

Let’s test your approach to this final question: Experience, Work Ethic, or Talent? Rank them in order of importance to your role.

(I object to those so I will rank my own):

For this role, Fervor is most important, then Mastery, then Bravery!

You totally cheated – and we were doing so well up to that point.

Despite his creative solution for that last scenario, we appreciate Chris taking a moment away from investment engineering to tell us his story. Don’t lose heart if you want to become one of his confederates, but can’t imagine yourself becoming a Doctor in an area of study. The backgrounds of our people are as diverse as the roles they play. Don’t take my word for it. The Breaking In archive does a better job of making that case.